Overview
- The No. 1 Buckeyes will play No. 5 Texas at Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday on ABC.
- Texas coach Steve Sarkisian has called this a ‘hinge point’ for his program and pushed back on last year’s ‘egg’ narrative while stressing the need to convert more trips inside the 20-yard line.
- Sarkisian singled out Ohio State wideout Jeremiah Smith as a game‑defining threat and said Texas must ‘mix our pitches’ in coverage to limit his size, speed and contested catches.
- Ohio State enters after a dominant opener in which Smith scored two first‑half touchdowns and coach Ryan Day urged Texas‑born Buckeyes to treat the return to their home state as extra motivation.
- Beyond the rivalry, the game carries outsized early‑season consequences for national perception and College Football Playoff positioning because Texas’s recent red‑zone failures against Ohio State have decided prior meetings and the Longhorns made several offensive line and skill‑position additions this offseason.