The No. 1 Buckeyes take their first road trip of the season for a top-five rematch with No. 4 Texas—and an early opportunity to answer the questions Ball State could not.

Ohio State and Texas have reached the point where calling this merely a nonconference game feels inadequate.

Saturday night will be the third meeting between the programs in less than two years, the second consecutive regular-season matchup and another game carrying postseason weight long before the calendar reaches October. Ohio State won the first two chapters: a 28–14 College Football Playoff semifinal victory after the 2024 season and a tense 14–7 win in Columbus to open 2025. Now the series moves to Austin, where more than 100,000 fans and another national television audience will be waiting to see whether the Buckeyes can do it again.

Both teams handled their opening assignments with ease. Ohio State beat Ball State 56–3 and produced 671 yards. Texas defeated Texas State 59–7 behind 305 passing yards and four touchdowns from Arch Manning. Those results confirmed the talent on both rosters, but neither game could fully prepare these teams for what arrives Saturday night.

Ball State did not have the personnel to punish every Ohio State mistake. Texas does.

Texas State could not force Manning to remain patient for four quarters. Ohio State can.

The opener gave both teams a chance to stretch their legs. Week 2 asks them to show who they actually are.

The setting adds another variable. Austin is expected to remain extremely hot into the evening, with temperatures near the upper 90s around kickoff and the heat index potentially higher. That places additional importance on hydration, substitution patterns and avoiding long defensive possessions. The conditions will affect both teams, but Texas has the advantage of living and practicing in them.

Know The Opponent:

Head Coach: Steve Sarkisian
2026 Record: 1–0 (0-0)
Conference: SEC
Location: Austin, TX

Ohio State Preview

There was very little to criticize about Julian Sayin’s season debut. He threw for 320 yards and three touchdowns against Ball State, added another score on the ground and helped Ohio State move the ball almost at will. Jeremiah Smith caught eight passes for 151 yards and two touchdowns—all before halftime—while Devin McCuin added 97 receiving yards and a touchdown.

That last name could become particularly important in Austin.

Texas will build its coverage plan around preventing Smith from controlling the game. That could mean safety help over the top, physical coverage underneath or a rotating combination designed to make Sayin hold the football for an extra beat. If the Longhorns devote two defenders to No. 4, someone else must make them pay.
McCuin showed in the opener that he can be more than a complementary piece. Brandon Inniss and Chris Henry Jr. give Ohio State additional options, and the running backs and tight ends may find space underneath if Texas concentrates on the perimeter. Sayin does not need to force the ball toward Smith to prove that Smith matters. Sometimes the star receiver’s most important contribution is the defender he pulls away from someone else.

The larger test for Sayin will come after the first read disappears. Texas has the talent to disguise coverage, close windows and generate pressure without repeatedly exposing its secondary. Sayin was precise against Ball State; in Austin, he must also be patient. A throwaway can be a winning play. A checkdown on second down can prevent third-and-long. Protecting the football will matter more than producing another 300-yard box score.

Last year’s meeting provides the blueprint. Sayin threw for only 126 yards, but he avoided a turnover and delivered the fourth-quarter touchdown pass that gave Ohio State breathing room. The Buckeyes did not win because their quarterback filled the stat sheet. They won because he did not give Texas the mistake it needed.
He is a more experienced quarterback now, surrounded by an offense capable of producing far more explosive plays. Saturday will show whether Ohio State can preserve last year’s discipline while adding this year’s firepower.

Ohio State’s final rushing total against Ball State was respectable, but the first half told a less comfortable story. The Buckeyes managed only 35 rushing yards before halftime, allowed two sacks and struggled to create the consistent movement expected against a MAC defensive front.
That cannot follow them to Austin.

Ryan Day indicated that Ohio State would continue evaluating its offensive-line combination after the opener. Whether that produces a different starter, a rotation or simply a more urgent week of practice, the standard has to rise. Texas defensive coordinator Will Muschamp has a front capable of attacking uncertain protection, led by Colin Simmons and a defensive line with enough strength to disrupt plays before they develop.

Ohio State does not need to run for 250 yards to win. It does need to make Texas respect the possibility.

If the Buckeyes repeatedly find themselves in second-and-nine, Muschamp can widen his menu of pressures and coverages. If Bo Jackson and the offensive line can create a steady collection of four- and five-yard gains, Arthur Smith and Ryan Day can keep Texas guessing. Play action becomes more convincing. The pass rush has to hesitate. Smith receives a fraction more room outside.

This is where the partnership between Day and Smith becomes especially interesting. Smith’s NFL offenses have traditionally valued formation variation, physical tight end play and a running game that creates favorable passing opportunities. Against Ball State, Ohio State could survive without establishing that identity immediately. Against Texas, balance is not a cosmetic preference. It may be the difference between controlling the game and asking Sayin to survive it.

Jackson remains the most likely back to change the equation. He rushed for 1,090 yards as a freshman and has the acceleration to turn a properly blocked crease into an explosive play. But the Buckeyes need the less glamorous runs, too—the three yards that avoid a loss, the five yards that keep the offense ahead of schedule and the short-yardage conversion that keeps the defense off the field.

Saturday is not simply a test of whether Ohio State can run the ball. It is a test of whether the Buckeyes can trust the run when the game becomes uncomfortable

Texas Preview

Few players entered last season carrying more expectation than Arch Manning, and few opening assignments could have been more demanding than Ohio State’s defense in the Horseshoe. Manning completed 17 of 30 passes for 170 yards, one touchdown and one interception in the 14–7 loss. Texas moved the ball at times but went 1-for-5 on fourth down and failed to finish its most important possessions.

Manning now gets the rare opportunity to face the same opponent one year later, at home and with an offense that appears more dangerous around him.
He opened 2026 by completing 20 of 27 passes for 305 yards and four touchdowns against Texas State. The one blemish was an interception thrown into heavy coverage, but the larger picture was a quarterback playing decisively and pushing the ball to an upgraded group of targets.

Ryan Wingo caught seven passes for 121 yards and a touchdown in the opener. Auburn transfer Cam Coleman gives Texas another large, athletic target who can win downfield and through contact. Hollywood Smothers adds versatility from the backfield, while Steve Sarkisian remains one of college football’s best at using motion and formation to manufacture leverage.

Ohio State cannot defend this version of Texas by concentrating on a single player. Wingo can stretch the secondary. Coleman can punish isolated coverage. Smothers can turn a short throw into a large gain. Manning can extend a play with his legs if the pass rush loses discipline.

Matt Patricia’s defense held Ball State to 165 yards and no offensive touchdowns, but Saturday presents an entirely different examination. Ohio State replaces significant experience from last year’s defense, and Texas will test the communication of that new group. Sarkisian will use motion to force defenders to declare their responsibilities, then attack any hesitation that follows.

The Buckeyes do not have to recreate last year’s defensive masterpiece. They do need to make Manning work through the entire progression. Pressure that arrives under control, disguised coverages and sound tackling can force Texas to string together long drives. That creates more opportunities for a penalty, a negative play or an impatient decision to end the possession.

Buckeye Spotlight

Bo Jackson. Jeremiah Smith is the most dangerous player on the field, and Sayin plays the game’s most important position. Yet Bo Jackson may be the Buckeye whose performance tells us the most about Ohio State’s chances. Jackson enters Saturday as the bridge between Ohio State’s established strength and its most obvious concern. Everyone knows the Buckeyes can create explosive plays through the air. The question is whether the offense can remain functional when Texas refuses to surrender them. That is where Jackson matters. His speed can punish a defense that becomes too eager to pressure Sayin, but this game will demand more than a highlight run. Jackson must see the blocking cleanly, take the available yardage and help Ohio State avoid the obvious passing downs that allow Simmons and the Texas front to attack. His work in pass protection will be just as important. One missed pickup can erase a promising drive—or create the turnover that changes the night. There is also an emotional element to establishing Jackson early. A successful running game quiets a road crowd, shortens the contest and keeps Manning on the sideline. It tells an offensive line questioned throughout the week that it can move a top-five opponent. It gives Smith more room on the perimeter because Texas can no longer lean its coverage entirely toward him. Jackson does not need 25 carries or a career-high total. If he can give Ohio State efficient early-down production, contribute as a receiver and protect Sayin when Texas brings pressure, he will have done exactly what the Buckeyes need.

Spotlight prediction: Jackson finishes with 88 rushing yards, adds three catches and scores a second-half touchdown that helps Ohio State regain control.

Longhorn Spotlight

Arch Manning. Manning is the unavoidable choice because almost every important Texas storyline runs through him. Last season’s game began the national conversation about whether Manning was ready to meet the expectations attached to his name. Saturday gives him an opportunity to replace that memory. He is older, more experienced and surrounded by a more explosive receiving group. He will also be playing at home instead of making his first start in Ohio Stadium. Ohio State’s priority should be to prevent him from becoming comfortable early. That does not mean blitzing recklessly. Manning is capable of recognizing pressure and delivering the ball to a favorable matchup. The Buckeyes need to vary the picture, compress the pocket and make him reach his second and third reads. His mobility cannot become an escape hatch. Ohio State’s edge defenders must resist the temptation to chase sacks so aggressively that they open a lane. A six-yard Manning scramble on third-and-five would be every bit as damaging as a completion. The matchup may ultimately turn on whether Manning accepts what the defense gives him. If he remains patient, Texas has enough talent to sustain offense. If Ohio State can make him press for the spectacular play, the Buckeyes will have opportunities to steal a possession.

Three Keys to the Game

1. Ohio State’s offensive line vs. Colin Simmons and the Texas front

This is the game within the game. Ohio State cannot allow Texas to consistently pressure Sayin with four defenders. If the Longhorns can disrupt the pocket without sacrificing bodies in coverage, Smith’s offense will have difficulty finding clean answers.

The Buckeyes must also avoid drive-killing penalties. Ohio State committed nine penalties for 81 yards in the opener. A false start in Ohio Stadium was frustrating. A false start in front of more than 100,000 Texas fans could turn a manageable possession into exactly the situation Muschamp wants.

2. Ohio State’s secondary vs. Ryan Wingo and Cam Coleman

Wingo and Coleman give Manning two receivers capable of changing the game vertically. Ohio State’s defensive backs need to compete without repeatedly creating penalties, and the safeties must communicate when Texas uses motion or stacked alignments to create free releases.

The Buckeyes can surrender a completion underneath. They cannot allow a missed tackle to convert it into 40 yards.

3. Third down

Texas converted 11 of 15 third downs against Texas State. Ohio State’s defense must prevent that efficiency from carrying into Saturday.
Third down will reveal the success of everything that comes before it. If Ohio State controls early downs, Patricia can disguise pressure and attack. If Texas repeatedly reaches third-and-two, Sarkisian retains his entire playbook and can use Manning’s legs as another option.

The same applies when Ohio State has the ball. Sayin cannot spend the night trying to solve third-and-long in a loud stadium. The running game, screen game and quick passes must help keep the Buckeyes on schedule.

What I’ll Be Watching Saturday

The first 10 minutes. Ohio State does not need an immediate touchdown, but it must settle into the environment. A clean opening possession and an early defensive stop would quiet some of the emotion inside DKR. A sack, penalty and quick three-and-out could allow the crowd to become part of every snap that follows.

Ohio State’s right side of the offensive line. Ball State found enough disruption to make this a concern. Texas will attack it until the Buckeyes prove it has been corrected.

How Texas covers Jeremiah Smith. The Longhorns’ first few defensive possessions should reveal their priorities. If they bracket Smith, Sayin must identify the favorable matchup elsewhere. If they trust a corner without consistent help, Ohio State should test that confidence.
Qua Russaw’s availability and role. Ryan Day said Russaw had a full week of practice after missing the opener. If he plays, his power and athleticism could give Ohio State another useful option against Manning and the Texas running game.

Tackling in space. Both teams have too many athletes for poor pursuit angles to go unpunished. The defense that turns short completions into immediate tackles will have a significant advantage.

Conditioning in the fourth quarter. The heat, pace and physicality will accumulate. Depth along both lines could become as important as the stars everyone discusses before kickoff.

Water Cooler Stat of the Game

2006. The last time Ohio State traveled to Austin to take on the Longhorns was a week 2 matchup on September 9, 2026 where then number 1 ranked Ohio State defeated number 2 Texas 24-7, a game which helped Troy Smith win the Heisman. 

Prediction

There is a convincing case for either team. Texas has the home crowd, the weather advantage and a quarterback determined to rewrite the story of last season’s opener. Wingo and Coleman give the Longhorns more perimeter firepower than they had a year ago, and the Ohio State offensive line did not inspire complete confidence against Ball State.

Ohio State, however, has the best individual matchup-breaker in Jeremiah Smith and the quarterback who has already shown he can defeat Texas without playing a perfect statistical game. The Buckeyes also have a defense that understands how to make Manning remain patient, even if many of the players executing that plan are different.

I expect Texas to start faster than it did in Columbus last year. Ohio State will absorb an early surge, lean more heavily on Sayin and Smith, and gradually find enough production from Jackson to keep the Longhorns from controlling the line of scrimmage. The Buckeyes will not eliminate the penalties or protection concerns entirely, but they will make fewer damaging mistakes than Texas.

In the fourth quarter, Ohio State’s pass rush forces Manning into the turnover that separates an even game. Sayin responds with one composed scoring drive, and the Buckeyes leave Austin with their third consecutive victory over the Longhorns.

It will not be comfortable. It should not be. This is the game Ohio State built its roster to play—and the kind of September night that can shape everything that follows.

Ohio State 27, Texas 24

Photo Credit: Jonathan Daniel /Getty Images