College football gets one of its biggest early-season games Saturday night when No. 1 Ohio State travels to Austin to face No. 4 Texas at a sold-out DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. CT on ABC, with College GameDay also visiting the Texas campus. It will be the sixth meeting between the programs, all six involving top-10 teams, and the third consecutive season Ohio State and Texas have faced each other. Ohio State leads the series 3-2.
The quarterback matchup alone makes this appointment viewing. Julian Sayin looked outstanding in Ohio State's 56-3 opener against Ball State, completing 21 of 25 passes for 320 yards and three touchdowns. Jeremiah Smith remains the Buckeyes' biggest matchup problem, catching eight passes for 151 yards and two touchdowns despite sitting out the second half. Ohio State piled up 671 yards, including 237 on the ground, suggesting Ryan Day has considerably more than just an elite passing attack at his disposal.
Texas answered with an equally convincing 59-7 victory over Texas State. Arch Manning threw for 305 yards and four touchdowns, while Ryan Wingo topped 100 receiving yards and Cam Coleman caught two touchdown passes. Texas also forced three turnovers, an encouraging sign for a defense that will now face an enormous step up in competition.
There is also unfinished business for Texas. Ohio State has beaten the Longhorns in each of their past two meetings, first 28-14 in the College Football Playoff semifinal following the 2024 season, then 14-7 in Columbus to open 2025. Last year's game was Sayin's first collegiate start, and Ohio State's defense held Texas to its lowest scoring output in nearly four years. Now Manning gets the Buckeyes in Austin, at night, with more experience and one of the loudest environments Ohio State will encounter all season.
The defining battle could be whether Texas can disrupt Sayin before Smith and Ohio State's other receivers begin generating explosive plays. On the other side, Ohio State must prevent Manning from turning Saturday into the kind of breakout national performance Texas has been waiting for.
Expect a much more aggressive game than last year's defensive struggle. Texas has the home field, but Ohio State currently looks deeper and more explosive.