For the third straight season, Ohio State and Texas are meeting in a marquee showdown, and this one lands in Austin with the Longhorns favored by 1.5 points. ESPN’s College GameDay is also headed to town, which only cranks up the attention around what is being billed as the best game on the weekend slate. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium.
Texas has a different feel this time around, starting with Arch Manning. Ohio State already saw him in Week 1 a year ago, when he went 17-for-30 for 170 yards, one touchdown and an interception. That wasn’t a smooth debut as a starter, and Julian Sayin’s first college game wasn’t much cleaner, either, as he finished 13-for-20 for 126 yards and a score against Texas.
Manning kept building after that, and he finished 2025 with 3,163 passing yards, 26 passing touchdowns and seven interceptions. The No. 1 player in the 2023 recruiting class, he entered college with a massive spotlight already attached to him, and the Manning name only adds to it with Peyton and Eli Manning as his uncles. He’s now being mentioned as a Heisman Trophy contender alongside Sayin, and he opened this season strong by going 20-for-27 for 305 yards, four touchdowns and an interception.
Texas is also dealing with a new voice on defense. Pete Kwiatkowski was fired last season after five years as the Longhorns’ defensive coordinator, and Will Muschamp has taken over the unit.
Muschamp is back in Austin after previously serving as Texas’ defensive coordinator from 2008-10, and his path since then has included stops at Florida, Auburn, South Carolina and Georgia. Texas State got the first look at his defense, and the Longhorns responded with three turnovers and two sacks in the opener.
Now comes a much bigger assignment against Ohio State’s offense.
There’s also a familiar edge to the buildup. Last year, Texas defensive end Colin Simmons stirred things up by reposting Ohio State’s announcement that Sayin had won the starting quarterback job.
This time, Pickerington native Rasheem Biles has been the one making noise. Biles transferred from Pitt this offseason and told Texas reporters in mid-August, "I don't have a relationship with them," Biles told Texas' reporters in mid-August.
"They called and stuff, but I ain't want to stay in Columbus for real if I'm being honest. … When I made my list and stuff, I told my mom, I ain't really trying to be in Columbus; I ain't trying to be a Buckeye.
They ain't want me out of high school, and I was right there, there's no point in trying to get me now, you feel me?" He had two total tackles, an interception and a forced fumble in the opener, and this matchup gives him a chance to make an impact against his home-state school.
Texas’ passing game has its own serious firepower, too. Cam Coleman and Ryan Wingo both came out hot in the season opener.
Coleman caught three passes for 70 yards and two touchdowns, while Wingo posted seven catches for 120 yards and a score. Coleman arrived from Auburn this offseason after two seasons there, where he totaled 93 receptions for 1,306 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Wingo is in his third season at Texas and has 83 catches for 1,306 yards and nine touchdowns across his first two years. Coleman has already flashed the kind of talent that can make him one of the nation’s top receivers, and Texas was buzzing about his preseason catch that showed off just how wide his range can be.
Up front, Texas also looks solid at left tackle. Trevor Goosby battled a bone bruise in his left knee during fall camp, but he did not miss time and started against Texas State.
Steve Sarkisian said Goosby had to play because he didn’t get reps in the scrimmages, and the Longhorns opened the game by running right behind him for a 45-yard rush from Hollywood Smothers. Goosby is projected by multiple outlets as a top-10 pick in the 2027 NFL draft, and that makes him a major challenge for Kenyatta Jackson Jr. and Ohio State’s defensive end group.
In Other News...
Lincoln Kienholz Just Sparked An Ohio State QB Debate
Lincoln Kienholz spent enough time around Ohio State to know how unforgiving the quarterback conversation can be there, and his latest outing at Louisville gave the discussion a fresh jolt. In his debut against Ole Miss, the former Buckeye showed the kind of production that turns heads quickly, topping 300 yards and throwing three touchdowns while looking comfortable as both a passer and a runner.
For Ohio State fans, the appeal is obvious because it feeds into the never-ending question of what might have been and what the Buckeyes missed when Kienholz moved on. His path also says something about the fit in college football: sometimes a player needs a different setup, a cleaner runway and a coach like Jeff Brohm to let the full skill set show up on game day, even as the foundation built in Columbus still shapes how he leads and handles the position. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan's QB Uncertainty Just Added Intrigue To The Game
Ohio State opened its season with a comfortable win over Ball State, while Michigan had a far less reassuring afternoon in a narrow escape against Western Michigan. That alone would have been enough to keep Buckeyes fans watching closely, but the storyline got more interesting when Michigan coach Kyle Whittingham left the door open on Bryce Underwoods status at quarterback, a notable twist for a position that usually settles the tone for the rest of the rivalry week chatter.
Underwoods uneven play has only deepened the questions around Michigans offense, and it carries extra weight because of what this game means beyond one Saturday in September. For Ohio State, any uncertainty on the other sideline only adds to the intrigue heading into a meeting where the Buckeyes will be paying attention to whether Michigan can steady itself, or whether the Wolverines are heading toward a bigger change than anyone expected. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Left Fans With One Big Concern After Its Opener
Ohio States opener came with the usual September mix of hope and uncertainty, only this time there were more moving parts than usual. The Buckeyes rolled out significant roster changes and even new uniforms, and while Julian Sayin gave the offense a steady presence and punctuated his day with a memorable touchdown scramble, the bigger picture still felt unfinished. The offensive line had its share of hiccups, especially at right tackle, which made it hard to get a clean read on how settled this group really is.
The run game only added to the uncertainty, because the backfield usage looked different than many expected and the offense never fully settled into a predictable rhythm. On the other side of the depth chart, the quarterback situation behind Sayin is still not clear, with Luke Fahey and Tavien St. Clair continuing their battle for the backup role. For a team with championship expectations, the opener did not erase the lingering questions so much as sharpen them. [Read more 🡒]