There was no mistaking how much the Texas win meant to Rasheem Biles.
The linebacker grew up in Columbus, Ohio, and the Ohio State Buckeyes never came calling out of high school. He ended up at Pittsburgh, then transferred to Texas this offseason, and on the biggest stage yet with the Longhorns, he helped take down his hometown team.
After the comeback win over then-No. 1 Ohio State, Biles let it fly.
"We locked in; they shoulda came and got us," Biles screamed out of pure joy after the game. "Hey! We gonna show you why we No. 1 in the country... real soon."
He was right. Texas climbed to No. 1 in the latest AP Top 25 Poll, bumping Ohio State all the way down to No. 6.
Biles was one of several portal additions who helped reshape Texas this offseason. Head coach Steve Sarkisian brought in a wave of experienced talent, including a slew of offensive weapons to help quarterback Arch Manning, and the move is paying off in a big way.
Texas landed 22 transfer commitments and lost 23 players to the portal, with almost all of those departures being upgrades. Ohio State, by comparison, brought in the No. 58 transfer class in the country with 17 additions and 32 departures. That gap mattered.
The Buckeyes’ roster churn is part of the story, though it’s not the whole thing. A chunk of the talent drain came from players heading to the NFL, but that hasn’t fully covered for what happened on the field.
Ohio State won the National Championship at the end of the 2024 season, and since then the Buckeyes have still been treated like the team everyone else is chasing. But the shine has faded over the last four games.
Their recent big-game results tell the story: a 23-24 loss at No. 4 Texas in the regular season, a 14-24 loss to No.
10 Miami in the CFP quarterfinal, a 10-13 loss to No. 2 Indiana in the Big Ten Championship, and a 27-9 win over No.
15 Michigan.
That means Ohio State and Ryan Day are on a three-game losing streak against ranked opponents, with only a Week 1 win over Ball State keeping the Buckeyes from going winless since last November.
For Day, the Texas loss only added to a familiar conversation. The Buckeyes’ title run in 2024 briefly changed the narrative, but after another defeat in a game that mattered, the old doubts are back front and center.
In Other News...
Arch Manning Added To Texas Wildest Postgame Controversy Yet
The aftermath of Texas 24-23 comeback win over No. 1 Ohio State did not stay focused on the field for long. Steve Sarkisians postgame interview became a talking point after he cut off reporter Holly Rowe, and the moment quickly spilled into the kind of strange, over-the-top discourse that follows a marquee victory when the stakes are already sky high. The result itself mattered plenty, lifting Texas to No. 1 in the updated AP poll, but the tone around the celebration shifted almost immediately.
Arch Manning soon found himself dragged into the chatter after weighing in on an AI-generated video that falsely showed Sarkisian slapping Rowe. His reaction made clear he was not treating the situation with much gravity, even as the clip added another layer to an already messy postgame scene. For Texas, the football part of the night was the headline it wanted, but the strange side story around its coach and quarterback is the one still hanging in the air. [Read more 🡒]
Steve Sarkisian's Awkward Ohio State Moment Took A Strange Turn Online
Steve Sarkisians postgame exchange with Holly Rowe after the Ohio State game was already unusual enough to draw plenty of attention, with Texas fans and onlookers replaying the moment as soon as it hit social media. The Longhorns coach abruptly cut off the ESPN interview and sprinted away, turning a routine TV hit into one of the first viral oddities of the season for a program that tends to live under a microscope.
The story took an even stranger turn when Arch Manning said he had seen AI-generated videos making it look as if Sarkisian slapped Rowe, a fabrication that quickly circulated online after his comments. It was a reminder of how fast a bizarre real-life clip can get distorted once the internet grabs hold, and how little room there is for nuance once a strange moment from a marquee Texas game becomes meme material. [Read more 🡒]
TCU Gets One Last Real Test Before Big 12 Play
TCUs final tune-up before Big 12 play brings a familiar face to Fort Worth, with Arkansas State visiting for what should be a useful barometer for both teams. The Red Wolves have shown a balanced offense so far, leaning on multiple running backs and receivers, while mixing in enough defensive looks to keep an opponent honest. For a Horned Frogs team trying to sharpen itself before the conference grind begins, its the kind of late-September game that can reveal more than the matchup on paper suggests.
The most interesting wrinkle is under center, where Arkansas State is being led by Trey Owens, a transfer quarterback with Texas ties and a chance to settle in after a bumpy start to his career path. The Red Wolves also bring a strong secondary and a defense that changes structure, but their run defense has been a vulnerability through the first two games, which gives TCU a clear area to press. Before Big 12 play arrives, this one offers the Horned Frogs a final look at a team with enough moving parts to make the afternoon matter. [Read more 🡒]