Steve Sarkisian has spent five years pushing Texas toward a moment like this, and now it’s here: No. 1 Ohio State is headed to Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on Saturday with the Longhorns sitting at No. 4 and the pressure turned all the way up.
This is the third straight season Texas has lined up against the Buckeyes, and the first two meetings left plenty of scars. Both ended in frustrating losses filled with coaching and execution mistakes.
For Sarkisian, the pattern is bigger than one matchup. Since 2024, Texas has faced Ohio State and Georgia five times, and he is 0-5 against Ryan Day and Kirby Smart in those games.
Against everybody else, the Longhorns are 24-1.
That’s why this one feels different. Texas has built itself for the NIL era, leaned hard into talent acquisition and loaded the roster with the kind of pieces that are supposed to travel anywhere and beat anyone. The Longhorns landed some of the state’s best players, including defensive end Colin Simmons, and added the most coveted status symbol in the sport: A Manning.
After narrowly missing the College Football Playoff last season, Texas went even further all-in to set up what is expected to be Arch Manning’s final year. The Longhorns worked to bring back left tackle Trevor Goosby, defensive tackle Hero Kanu and safety Jelani McDonald.
They dipped into the transfer portal for wide receiver Cam Coleman, linebacker Rasheem Biles and running backs Raleek Brown and Hollywood Smothers. They also made a major change on the sideline, replacing highly respected defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski with Will Muschamp.
On paper, it’s a loaded group. Texas has playmakers at every level, a veteran core and a staff built in Sarkisian’s image. The program didn’t leave much to chance, especially after trusting its own development at running back and wide receiver in 2025.
Coleman arrived from Auburn and is viewed as the No. 2 receiver in college football. Wake Forest transfer Sterling Berkhalter gives Texas another important depth option. Brown was a 1,000-yard rusher at Arizona State, and Smothers came close to that mark.
“It kind of reminds me when Joe Burrow had Justin Jefferson and Ja'Marr Chase,” Texas State coach G.J. Kinne told CBS Sports' Matt Zenitz. “He's got elite weapons around him and he's really talented.”
Ohio State is the standard Texas is trying to chase. Two years ago, the Buckeyes held onto key defensive talent, added offensive transfers around Emeka Egbuka and TreVeyon Henderson, and rolled to a national title behind one of the most dominant playoff runs ever.
Now the roles are flipped. Texas is peaking, while Ohio State is reloading in 2026.
Four Buckeyes were taken in the top 11 of the 2026 NFL Draft, and seven went in the first two rounds. Five of those players were on defense, including standout safety Caleb Downs.
Still, quarterback Julian Sayin and wide receiver Jeremiah Smith both finished in the top 10 in Heisman voting last season, even as much of the supporting cast turns over.
That backdrop is what makes Saturday such a crucial test for Sarkisian. Texas has shown it can handle plenty of teams. It has not shown, yet, that it can consistently survive the very top tier.
The cost of not doing it showed up last season. After a 14-7 loss to Ohio State, Texas wound up outside the College Football Playoff bubble despite wins over Oklahoma and Texas A&M. The rest of the season followed the same frustrating rhythm: a 29-21 loss to Florida, overtime games against Kentucky and Mississippi State, then a 35-10 blowout at the hands of Georgia that again exposed the gap between Texas and the elite.
And if the Longhorns stumble again, the road gets no kinder. Two weeks after Ohio State, they go on the road to No.
18 Tennessee and then head to the Cotton Bowl for No. 11 Oklahoma.
No. 8 LSU, No.
9 Ole Miss and No. 10 Texas A&M are also on the schedule.
With the SEC moving to a nine-game league slate, 9-3 will likely be enough to get Texas into the postseason, but there’s no guarantee. And if that number falls short - or even if it leads to a quick exit - the scrutiny around Sarkisian’s handling of the Manning era will only get louder, the same way it has for Brian Kelly with Garrett Nussmeier and James Franklin with Drew Allar.
The money is real now, the stakes rise fast, and Texas has spent years building for this exact stage. Saturday is the chance for Sarkisian to finally clear the hump.
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Ohio State Gets Its First Real Title Test At Texas
Ohio State handled its opener the way a top contender should, rolling past Ball State 56-3 to get the 2026 season started on the right foot. Texas was just as efficient in its first game, beating Texas State 59-7, and now the Buckeyes are headed into a far more revealing Week 2 matchup in Austin.
With both teams sitting in the AP top four, Saturday at Texas Memorial Stadium already feels like an early measuring stick for the national race. It will also be the third straight season these programs have met, with Ryan Day and Steve Sarkisian again overseeing a matchup that should say plenty about where Ohio State really stands this fall. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio States Right Side Suddenly Faces Pressure Entering Texas
Ohio States offensive line left plenty to be sorted out after a shaky showing against Ball State, and the scrutiny has landed hardest on the right side as the Buckeyes turn toward Texas. The run game never fully settled in, the pass protection had its uneasy moments, and the questions now go beyond one rough afternoon to whether the current starting five is the best answer once the competition stiffens.
Phillip Daniels has been part of the conversation at right tackle, where every snap now carries extra weight with a bigger stage ahead. Coaches and analysts are also watching the depth behind the starters, especially after Joshua Padillas role was limited to center against Ball State, leaving the Buckeyes with less clarity than they would like as they head into a matchup that should say a lot about how ready the line really is. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Heads To Texas With Another Statement Chance
Hero Kanu has a rare perspective on the Ohio State-Texas matchup, having worn both jerseys and seen the pressure on both sides of a game that has quickly taken on real national weight. As the Buckeyes head to Texas, the meeting comes with plenty of recent baggage, even before anyone starts talking about rankings or October momentum.
The teams have already crossed paths in a pair of high-stakes games, and Texas coach Steve Sarkisian has framed the rivalry-less rivalry as the kind of test that demands full attention without letting the season get hijacked by the moment. For Ohio State, it is another statement chance on a stage that has already produced some memorable finishes, with Kanus background adding one more layer to a matchup that still feels like it has unfinished business. [Read more 🡒]