College football’s first major showdown of Week 2 hasn’t even kicked off yet, but the stakes are already clear: the winner of Ohio State-Texas should be sitting at No. 1 in the updated rankings.
That’s the view from Matt Barrie, who didn’t just pick a winner - he went all the way and said Texas will take the top spot after beating the Buckeyes at home.
“Ohio State and Texas, to me, is going to be the game that shapes the first half of the season. Why is that?
Because last year, Texas went in No. 1.
They didn’t deserve to be No. 1, but they did because of the star power,” Barrie said.
Barrie expects more than a narrow escape from the Longhorns. He said Texas will win convincingly and use the moment to make a loud early-season statement.
“I think Texas makes a statement … they’ll be the No. 1 ranked team in the country after beating Ohio State.”@MattBarrie is calling his shot 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/EpOXOauJvA
“I think not only is Texas going to win this game, I think they’re going to win it convincingly, because Ohio State lost so much defensively. They got to go on the road.
Arch and his weapons? I think Texas makes a statement at home, plants their flag.
They’ll be the No. 1 ranked team in the country.”
Arch Manning is again set to be the center of the conversation, no matter how Saturday plays out. Last season, his rough opener helped shape the early narrative around Texas. This time, the story could swing the other way if the progress he showed over the second half of the 2025 campaign shows up in a game like this.
Texas also comes into the matchup with more firepower around him. The Longhorns were active in the transfer portal and added former five-star Auburn wide receiver Cam Coleman, former Arizona State running back Raleek Brown, who had 1,141 yards of production, and NC State rusher Hollywood Smothers, who averaged 7 yards per attempt last week.
Ohio State still has plenty of punch of its own. Jeremiah Smith, widely viewed as the best wide receiver in college football, is back, and Heisman finalist quarterback Julian Sayin is in place to lead another vertical passing attack that could carry the Buckeyes back to the playoff.
Still, Barrie’s case starts with what Ohio State lost on defense. Eight blue-chip tacklers are gone, and that leaves the Buckeyes trying to build a plan to get after Manning before Texas can fully unleash its SEC speed.
For now, the ranking battle is simple: whoever wins in Austin should own No. 1 when the next AP poll comes out.
In Other News...
Texas-Ohio State Is Already Creating An Austin Frenzy
The buzz around Texas trip to Ohio State is already spilling far beyond the field, with ticket prices turning the matchup into a hot topic in Austin before kickoff even arrives. Seats in the upper deck are starting around $480, and the cost climbs into the thousands closer to the action, putting this one out of reach for plenty of Longhorns students who had hoped to be in the building.
Still, the game is shaping up to be a major moment for the city as much as for the team. Local business owners and economic experts are expecting a wave of visitors to bring a noticeable boost to Austin, adding another layer to a matchup that is already carrying plenty of weight for Texas fans trying to take it all in, even if they have to do so from afar. [Read more 🡒]
Urban Meyer Sees Ohio State Texas Coming Down To One Big Play
Urban Meyer is treating the Ohio State-Texas showdown like the kind of early-season heavyweight fight that can swing on a single moment. After both teams rolled through their openers against overmatched opponents, the former Buckeyes coach pointed to the quarterbacks as the obvious center of gravity, with Julian Sayin and Arch Manning carrying most of the pressure in a game that figures to be tight for a long stretch.
Texas does get the home-field edge, and Meyer acknowledged that as part of what makes this such a tricky road test for Ohio State. Still, he called for the Buckeyes to pull it out, which only adds another layer to a matchup already loaded with intrigue. For a Longhorns team trying to measure itself against one of the sports standard-bearers, the margin for error may be as slim as Meyer suggests. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Faces One Real Backfield Concern Before Ohio State
Texas has spent much of the buildup to Ohio State sorting through the usual early-season questions, but the one backfield wrinkle worth watching is the status of freshman running back Derrek Cooper. He was hurt in the season opener, and while the Longhorns have not issued an official injury report, head coach Steve Sarkisian said Cooper was in a boot as the team moved into the week.
Cooper is now a game-time decision, which leaves a little uncertainty in an area where Texas otherwise expects to lean on its top options. If he cannot go, the Longhorns should have enough depth to cover the workload, with Hollywood Smothers and Raleek Brown likely carrying most of the load. Still, against a national-stage opponent like Ohio State, every available back matters, and Texas would prefer to know exactly what it has before kickoff. [Read more 🡒]