Ohio State’s arrival on the Forty Acres has turned Week 2 into the kind of matchup that gets everyone talking, and Texas students weren’t shy about weighing in.
On Friday afternoon, the South Mall near the UT Tower became the center of the pregame buzz as CELSIUS Energy Drinks and ESPN College GameDay staged a pair of fan events. Students and fans crowded around the Traveling CELSIUS Combine and the CELSIUS-led Run Clubs, with the combine featuring a racing the reaction wall coordination test, a pull-up challenge, a vertical jump challenge, and a passing accuracy challenge.
Among the students putting themselves through the drills was Olajide, a New Jersey native and UT student who posted a 29-inch vertical. He liked Texas’ chances, but he didn’t sound especially comfortable with what Ohio State brings to the table.
"They're a great team. I fear they're going to be very offensive, very aggressive, and very straightforward.
They've been a great team foundation-wise. And I know they're looking to make noise, especially coming into an SEC environment," Olajide said on OSU.
Still, he stuck with the Longhorns, leaning on the idea that a crowd of more than 100,000 can tilt a game like this in Texas’ favor.
Addison, a UT student who was born and raised in Austin, was even more direct about her confidence. Asked who on the Buckeyes she feared, she didn’t hesitate.
"I fear no one," she said confidently when I asked who on the Buckeyes she feared.
"UT has such strong pride. It's the heart of Austin.
I've grown up here my whole life. My parents were die-hard UT fans.
They raised me right. Hook'em Horns.
So really, when you get into DKR, the feeling of the fans, the Longhorn Band, there's just an aura in the air you can't top."
The game has been simmering on campus for weeks, according to Sai, a Houston native and UT student who said Ohio State-Texas has been a constant topic in class.
"Every single class I've been to for the past two weeks, this has been a top-three conversation starter. This is one of the most anticipated games of the season for sure," Sai said.
The stakes around the No. 1 vs. No. 4 matchup have only made the conversation louder. Texas enters as a slight favorite at the spread, but students around campus clearly know what’s coming: a game with CFP implications, a massive crowd, and plenty of pressure on both sides.
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Ryan Day Faces Ohio State's Biggest Early Problem
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Day also put the responsibility on himself, saying the gameplan was his to own as Ohio State tried to sort out what went wrong. For a team with playoff expectations and a roster built to contend, the sting is not just the result but the manner in which it happened. The Buckeyes now have an early reminder that the margin for error is thin, and that the fixes have to come quickly in every phase if they want this loss to stay an opening-week anomaly. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Suddenly Has A CFP Scheduling Problem Fans Will Debate
A high-profile nonconference schedule can look great on paper in August, but the debate around it gets louder when one of those matchups turns into an upset with real playoff ripple effects. Oklahoma States win over Oregon, capped by the kind of celebration that sends students hauling a goalpost into a campus pond, has only sharpened the discussion around whether elite programs should keep taking on the toughest possible opponents outside league play.
For Ohio State fans, the issue is easy to understand because it sits right at the heart of CFP math. Coaches like Brent Venables, Steve Sarkisian and Dan Lanning have already weighed in on the risks and rewards of loading up the schedule, and the recent result gives both sides fresh ammunition. It is the kind of debate that can look noble in the offseason and suddenly feel a lot more complicated once the playoff committee starts comparing wins, losses and the value of who you chose to play. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio States First Ranking Drop Already Fuels A Bigger Debate
Ohio States early season stumble did more than add a blemish to the record. It also changed the conversation around the Buckeyes, who now sit behind a reshaped national picture after the loss in Austin sent Texas to the top of both the AP Top 25 and the Coaches Poll. The Buckeyes are still firmly in the mix, but the margin for error has already tightened in a way that will follow them through the next stretch.
Around the Big Ten, the ripple effect was easy to spot, with Oregon slipping and Michigan climbing as the leagues ranked teams settled into new positions in both polls. For Ohio State, the bigger issue is less about one weeks ranking and more about what it says about the path ahead, because every adjustment now gets measured against how quickly the Buckeyes can reestablish themselves in a race that already looks crowded. [Read more 🡒]