College football: No. 3 Ohio State meets top-ranked Texas in huge season-opening tilt

COLUMBUS — Texas and Ohio State are used to dealing with pressure. The expectations for both programs going into Saturday are at fever pitch as the top-ranked Longhorns and defending national champion No. 3 Buckeyes meet in one of the most-hyped openers in recent memory. "It is a great way to start the year. It's just different. There's positives and negatives to everything, but what a great game to kick off the season with against a great opponent," Ohio State coach Ryan Day said. This will be the fifth meeting between the vaunted programs. In three of the past four meetings — including the two times they have met in the regular season — the winner has gone on to play for the national title. The last matchup was Jan. 10 in a College Football Playoff semifinal at the Cotton Bowl, when the Buckeyes pulled away in the second half for a 28-14 victory. In the 232 days since the teams last met, 26 players from that game were selected in the NFL draft (Ohio State 14, Texas 12) with only 17 of the 44 combined starters on offense and defense for both sides returning. "At the end of the day, that stung walking out of the Cotton Bowl last year. But this is a new challenge, a new journey, a new mission we're on," Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said. The Longhorns have made 50 appearances at No. 1 in the Associated Press poll but they come into Ohio Stadium as the nation's preseason No. 1 for the first time. It will be the fourth time the AP's top-ranked team has met the previous season's national champion in the opener. The last time was 1988 when Miami blanked No. 1 Florida State 31-0. Arch Madness Heisman Trophy contender Arch Manning will make his third collegiate start. He played in 10 games last season, including two starts, and made a brief appearance against the Buckeyes and had an 8-yard carry. Even though the sophomore has received the most attention, Manning realizes that the game will not only come down to him. "I always have to remind myself it's not about me, it's about the whole team," he said. "We have to play the situations well, not give them short fields, and take care of the ball. Our receivers have gotten together every practice." Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith gets all the hype at wide receiver, but Texas has budding playmaker ready for a breakout season. Ryan Wingo had 29 catches for 472 yards and two touchdowns last season as freshman. Like Smith, Wingo can be a physical mismatch for some defensive backs at 6-foot-1, 215 pounds with speed. The Other QB Ohio State's Julian Sayin will be making his first start. The sophomore took 27 snaps in four games last season and was 5 for 12 for 84 yards and one touchdown. Sayin is the fifth quarterback under Day to make his first start, joining Dwayne Haskins (in 2018 when Day was offensive coordinator), Justin Fields (2019), C.J. Stroud (2021) and Kyle McCord (2023). The four previous to Sayin averaged 3,927 yards, 40 touchdowns, six interceptions and a 68.9% completion rate. What about the defenses? Matt Patricia takes over as Ohio State's defensive coordinator and inherited a unit that had only three returning starters. One of those is safety Caleb Downs, who many have as one of the top-ranked defensive prospects for next year's draft. A concern remains the defensive line, that has four new starters. Texas has six starters returning but lost two in the secondary, including cornerback Jahdae Barron, who won the Jim Thorpe award as the nation's top defensive back last season. Something to prove Smith had his worst game of the season against the Longhorns with just one catch for 3 yards as he was often double covered. Smith, who had 76 receptions for 1,315 yards and 15 touchdowns last year, said during the preseason that remembered what people were saying about the game he had last season and that he is hungry for this matchup. He will face a Texas secondary that has two new starters. Texas running back Quintrevion Wisner ran for 1,064 yards last season and is the SEC's top returning rusher. He struggled against the Buckeyes in the playoff with just 46 yards on 17 carries and was tackled for a loss on 2nd-and-goal late in the fourth quarter. Two plays later came the strip sack touchdown that sealed the game for Ohio State. He'll be running Saturday behind an offensive line with four new starters. Road warriors Texas has won 11 consecutive true road games, including five against ranked opponents. The Longhorns haven't lost on an opponent's home field since Oct. 22, 2022, at Oklahoma State. The streak includes wins at Alabama, Michigan and Texas A&M. "When we go on the road, there's a different kind of hunger that comes out. A different kind of energy, vibes. We want to take over," edge rusher Colin Simmons said.