The most anticipated Ohio State season-opener ever is a mere five days away.
No. 1 Texas and the No. 2 Buckeyes (or No. 3 by the AP Poll) clash in a rematch of the 2025 College Football Playoff semifinals at the Cotton Bowl on Saturday. There are a lot of new faces starting for both squads, including two new quarterbacks, but no shortage of star power for the noon clash on FOX in the Shoe.
Ohio State has never repeated as national champions in its school history. The quest to do just that in 2025 won’t be completely derailed with a loss to the Longhorns, but a win will give them an early inside track to the CFP.
Five Things to Know is back, and we’re talkin’ Texas.
Arch Nemesis
Being born into the Manning family, it seems there was only one career path for Arch Manning to take: Becoming an NFL quarterback. He’s faced mountains of hype since his high school days as a result, landing as the No. 1 overall prospect in the recruiting class of 2023.
If you’re reading this, you’ve probably heard of Arch Manning’s uncles Peyton and Eli, both two-time Super Bowl champions and the former a first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer. His grandfather, Archie, spent more than a decade playing quarterback in the NFL, too. Despite that pedigree and his obvious talent, Arch Manning sat behind the more veteran Quinn Ewers at Texas his first two seasons.
Manning’s debut as a full-time starter has been built as a coronation. Despite it being his first year as a full-time starter, the sportsbooks have him as their odds-on Heisman Trophy favorite. But while he flashed in spots last season, there’s still much for Manning to prove. Especially in a hostile Horseshoe against the reigning kings of college football.
Manning went 61-of-90 (67.8%) for 939 yards and nine touchdowns with two interceptions, rushing for 108 yards and four scores in 2024 when either relieving an injured Ewers or seeing reps in specialty short-yardage and red zone packages thanks to his running ability. He made two starts after Ewers was hurt in Week 3, had a lackluster outing against Louisiana-Monroe, then set Mississippi State’s maligned defense (the Bulldogs were the No. 126 total D in the FBS last year) ablaze with a 26-of-31 passing day for 325 yards and two scores.
Going against the Buckeyes’ No. 1 total and No. 3 passing defense that returns the nation’s best safety, Caleb Downs, with All-American-caliber cornerbacks like Davison Igbinosun, will be far and away the stiffest challenge posed to Manning in his young career. Not that Ohio State is taking him lightly.
“I got a chance to actually see Arch last summer and he's big, he's strong, he's really athletic,” Buckeye defensive coordinator Matt Patricia said Aug. 18. “He's got a very live arm, he can push the ball down the field. He’s a really good player. Obviously, a huge challenge for us, but it'll be good.”
Attrition, Attrition
Ohio State and Texas had a combined 26 players selected in the 2025 NFL draft, 14 for the Buckeyes and 12 for the Longhorns. Ohio State had four first-round picks, Texas had three.
In both cases, the new starters replacing the old have some experience but will be embracing new roles in 2025. Beyond Ewers, some of Texas’ biggest losses include Thorpe Award-winning cornerback Jahdae Barron, No. 9 overall draft pick and left tackle Kelvin Banks, the Longhorns’ leading wide receiver Matthew Bolden, two day two picks at defensive tackle, top tight end Gunnar Helm and safety Andrew Mukuba, who had five interceptions last season.
Four of the Longhorns’ five starting offensive linemen from a season ago, including both tackles, are gone. With the Buckeyes starting four new defensive linemen on their end, when Texas is on the field, the trench battles will be fought between eight new starters, the only returner being Texas right guard DJ Campbell.
Each of the Longhorns’ top three receivers is gone as options for Manning, with Isaiah Bond joining Golden and Helm in the NFL ranks. Ryan Wingo, who had 29 receptions for 472 yards and two touchdowns, is the top returning wideout. It’s one of the clearest positional advantages Ohio State will have on Saturday, thanks to the likes of Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate et al.
Ohio State and Texas are ranked as the top two teams in the Coaches Poll due to their ceilings, but Saturday will give a lot of feedback on both sides of how close they are to those heights.
Pass Rushing Presence
One area where Texas returns a lot of production is in the category of sacks. Star defensive end Colin Simmons returns after winning Freshman of the Year (over Smith somehow) in 2024 with 48 tackles, 14 tackles for loss and a team-high nine sacks. He’ll be a candidate for both All-American status and some major awards in 2025.
Even more ferocious than Simmons is middle linebacker Anthony Hill Jr., a favorite to win the Butkus Award as the nation’s best linebacker. A first-team All-SEC performer in 2024, Hill piled up 113 tackles, 16.5 TFLs and eight sacks last season, the first two being team-highs. Four forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and an interception made him a turnover threat, too.
Behind Hill and Simmons, Texas ranked No. 15 nationally with 2.9 sacks per game last season. That pressure aided its pass defense in becoming No. 7 in the country. Veteran defensive end Ethan Burke aims to aid Simmons at the opposite defensive end position for the Longhorns, who will rely on a core of transfers to collapse the pocket on the interior at defensive tackle.
A Formerly Friendly Face
Speaking of Texas’ defensive line, the Longhorns have a Hero that the Buckeyes are familiar with.
Fourth-year defensive tackle Hero Kanu transferred from Ohio State to Texas this offseason, ending a three-year career with the Buckeyes after landing in Columbus from the village of Geltendorf, Germany.
“I was excited, I was looking up a bunch of trash talk in German for him,” Ohio State center Carson Hinzman said with a chuckle. “Just so the ref doesn't get us on a couple (penalties), you know. But no, I'm pumped actually. It's gonna be fun to see him. I mean, me and him have been best friends for the past couple of years living together. It's a blessing to be able to go and play up against him. And I don't really know where he's playing at right now, position-wise specifically, but wherever he's at, I'm pretty excited to throw a double team on him and hopefully roll him over a couple times.”
Kanu is playing three-technique defensive tackle for Texas, so his matchups with Hinzman will be limited, though still existent if and when he gets in the game. He’s reportedly emerged as a leader in the Longhorns’ locker room and there’s been no official word on Texas’ depth chart, but Syracuse transfer Maraad Watson is the likely starter, though Kanu will have a good chance for playing time.
Don’t Sleep on the Ground Game
Outside its pass rush, the most proven production returning on Texas’ team comes at the running back position.
All the hype might surround Manning. But beyond any uncertainty about growing pains as he takes over full-time, a quarterback is as much about the pieces around him as the player himself, and four new offensive linemen will be protecting Manning while an unproven crew of receiving targets catch his passes.
But there are no doubts about Quintrevion Wisner at running back. He gobbled up 1,064 yards (4.7 yards per carry) and scored five touchdowns sharing the backfield with Jaydon Blue last season, and proved a threat catching passes with 311 receiving yards and a score. A rising junior, there’s room for development from the ball carrier, too.
Backing up Wisner is CJ Baxter, one of the best stories on Texas’ team. Baxter burst on the scene as a freshman in 2023 with 659 rushing yards and five touchdowns, but suffered a catastrophic knee injury in preseason camp 2024, tearing his LCL and PCL. After a long offseason of rehab, he’s in position to be the Longhorns’ No. 2 back in 2025.
Ohio State will hope to spoil his return and Manning’s long-awaited takeover this Saturday.
