Sports Americana

No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 4 Texas
Saturday, September 12 — 6:30 p.m. CT
Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, Austin

College football didn’t waste much time giving us a game of the year candidate.

No. 1 Ohio State travels to Austin Saturday night to take on No. 4 Texas in the premier matchup of the young 2026 season. And if the Longhorns have anything to say about it, this one won’t look anything like the last two.

Ohio State has beaten Texas twice in the last two seasons, including a 28-14 College Football Playoff semifinal in January 2025 and last year’s 14-7 thriller in Columbus. Now the Buckeyes have to walk into Austin and deal with a Texas team that has been waiting for another shot.

The Quarterback Showdown

This is the matchup everybody will be watching.

Arch Manning vs. Julian Sayin.

Manning enters his second season as Texas’ starting quarterback after throwing for 305 yards and four touchdowns in Texas’ 59-7 season-opening demolition of Texas State. Sayin was equally impressive in Ohio State’s 56-3 win over Ball State, throwing for 320 yards and three touchdowns.

But this isn’t really about Week 1 anymore.

It’s about who handles the pressure when the game gets tight.

Manning has already experienced the frustration of facing Ohio State. Last season, he threw for just 170 yards with a touchdown and interception in the Longhorns’ 14-7 loss.

Saturday gives him another chance.

Ohio State’s X-Factor

Jeremiah Smith.

At this point, calling Smith an “X-factor” almost feels unfair. He’s already established himself as one of the most explosive players in college football and enters 2026 as a Heisman favorite.

Texas has done a surprisingly good job limiting him in the previous meetings, which means the Longhorns will have to find a way to do it again.

Good luck.

Ohio State also has a running game capable of making Texas pay if the Longhorns sell out to stop Smith.

Texas’ X-Factor

The environment.

This is the part Ohio State can’t simulate.

Austin.
Saturday night.
A sold-out stadium.
Top-five opponent.
And a fan base that has watched its team lose to Ohio State twice.

Texas doesn’t need motivation.

The Longhorns need execution.

The biggest question may be whether Texas can run the football consistently enough to keep Ohio State’s defense from teeing off on Manning. The Buckeyes were dominant defensively in Week 1, allowing only three points and 165 total yards.

Why This Game Matters

It’s September.

It shouldn’t matter this much.

It does.

A Texas victory immediately changes the national championship conversation. A Buckeye win would give Ohio State another road win over an elite opponent and reinforce its position as the team everybody is chasing.

And with the expanded College Football Playoff, neither team can afford to treat this like just another nonconference game.

This is résumé-building time.

Sports Americana Prediction

Texas has the home-field advantage.

Arch Manning is better.

The Longhorns are deeper.

The crowd will be absolutely ridiculous.

And I still can’t quite pick against Ohio State.

The Buckeyes have already shown they can make Texas play uncomfortable. They have the better recent track record in this matchup, and Jeremiah Smith is the kind of player who can turn a close game into a different game with one catch.

Ohio State 31, Texas 27

Texas gets closer.

Ohio State gets another one.

And somewhere around 10:45 Saturday night, we’ll probably start asking whether these two teams are destined to meet again in January.

Because that’s what this feels like.

A September game with January written all over it.