The biggest game of Week 2 has all the usual weight - No. 1 Ohio State at No.
4 Texas - and ESPN’s “College GameDay” is headed to Austin for the occasion. This time, though, the guest picker won’t be a familiar Longhorns face like Matthew McConoughey.
It’ll be Glen Powell.
That choice makes more sense once you follow Powell’s Texas trail. He was born in Austin and grew up there, playing football and lacrosse at Westwood High School. His parents are Glen Sr. and Cyndy Powell, and his father worked as an executive coach in Austin.
Powell also spent time at Texas after graduating from Westlake High School in Austin in 2007. He attended for one year before leaving to chase acting. After that, he moved to Los Angeles and was enrolled in UT’s Semester in Los Angeles program.
“I had literally just finished freshman year, which was the greatest year of my entire life,” Powell said of his time at Texas via Texas Monthly says, “and I was like, ‘I’m going to leave this place I’ve always dreamed about going to to be a struggling actor in a town where I know nobody.’ ”
He never graduated from Texas at the time, but Powell said in 2024 that he’s back in classes and plans to finish the degree over the next few years.
"I’m not going to be sitting in a class with other students on the regular," Powell told the outlet. "I’m basically going to be coming back because I have to finish up, but I’m going to be shooting “The Running Man” in the fall.
So I’m going to be in London, but I am going to be going back for proctored exams. So, they’re letting me figure it out [with] distance learning.
And I’m obviously going to be coming in, Zooming in for classes and whatnot, but I have to be back for the proctored exams. So, we’re figuring that out for two or three times a semester, I’ll come back for all my stuff. Edgar has been very nice about letting me finish my degree in the middle of his massive movie."
Texas has turned out plenty of Hollywood names, including McConaughey, Renee Zellweger, Owen Wilson and director Wes Anderson. Powell fits right into that club, even if his path took him away from campus before it could be finished.
His recent work has only raised his profile further. Powell stars in Hulu’s “Chad Powers,” a comedy built around former disgraced Oregon quarterback Russ Holliday, who disguises himself as “Chad Powers” and joins a fictitious South Georgia college football team. Powell created the series with screenwriter Michael Waldron, and the show is now in its second season with Eli and Peyton Manning serving as executive producers.
The role came with its own football education. The Mannings connected Powell with Kansas City Chiefs quarterbacks coach Nic Shimonek, and he was taught to read defenses the way quarterbacks do.
“When I was actually on the field, it felt very immersive,” Powell sad via Deadline. “Because they also had former NFL players playing with us, putting on pads. Guys that are 350, 6’7, sprinting at me with everything they got.”
Powell’s screen résumé stretches well beyond football, though. His rise picked up in 2014 with TV work on “Jack & Bobby,” “CSI: Miami,” “NCIS,” “Rizzoli & Isles” and others. In March 2016, he starred in “Everybody Wants Some!!,” Richard Linklater’s “Dazed and Confused” sequel that was filmed in Austin.
His breakout came with “Top Gun: Maverick” in 2022. Since then, he has appeared in “Anyone but You” with Sydney Sweeney, “Hit Man,” “Twisters” and “The Running Man.”
In Other News...
Ohio State Faces One Preseason Basketball Concern Fans Can't Ignore
Ohio States offseason has brought an interesting addition in Jared Sullinger, who is back around the program as Director of Player Development and now can help in practices under a recent NCAA rule change. It is the kind of move that gives the Buckeyes another familiar voice in the gym, and it also serves as a reminder that the staff is still sorting through the details of how this group will come together before the season gets rolling.
Even with the extra help, there is still a question hanging over the roster that fans are not likely to ignore, especially around the center spot where depth looks like the most obvious concern. On the brighter side, there is also growing belief that Justin Pippen could be good enough to earn All-Big Ten recognition, which would give Ohio State a much-needed high-end presence if the rest of the frontcourt picture settles the way the Buckeyes hope. [Read more 🡒]
Urban Meyer Sees Ohio State Texas Coming Down To One Big Play
Urban State Ohio and Texas are set up for one of the marquee games of Week 2, and former Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer sees it as the kind of matchup that can be decided by a single snap, a single drive or a single mistake. Both teams rolled in their openers, and the quarterback spotlight is already bright on Julian Sayin and Arch Manning as the game heads to Austin, where Texas has long made life difficult for visitors.
Meyer framed it as a true toss-up, which fits the way this one feels going in, even if the Buckeyes still get the nod in his eyes. With ABC carrying the game and a charged road atmosphere waiting at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, Ohio State is staring at a test that should tell a lot about how real its early-season momentum is. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State's Playoff Path Suddenly Looks Better Than Fans Expected
Ohio State left no doubt in its latest outing, rolling past Ball State and looking every bit like a team that can control its own place in the national conversation. With the Buckeyes doing what they were supposed to do and a few other contenders showing some early-season wobble, the playoff picture has already started to tilt in a way that feels a little friendlier in Columbus than it did a week ago.
There is still plenty of September left, though, and the road ahead is crowded with games that could reshape the bracket-watch entirely. Matchups like Missouri against Kansas, Oregon against Oklahoma State, Oklahoma against Michigan, Alabama against Kentucky and Arizona against BYU all carry some weight in the broader race, especially with coaching changes and preseason expectations hanging over several programs as the season settles in. [Read more 🡒]