Texas vs Ohio State 2025: Arch Manning’s First Big Test in Season Opener
Arch Manning’s coming-out party shifts into full gear in the 2025 season. There’s an awful lot at stake, including a possible national championship opportunity for the Texas Longhorns and maybe the Heisman Trophy.
And it’s a very stiff test for Manning and the ‘Horns right out of the box, as they have to visit the defending national champion Ohio State Buckeyes in the season opener on Saturday, August 30 at noon (Eastern time).
These two teams met in January, in the national semi-final game, which was played as the Cotton Bowl. Ohio State came away with a 28-14 win, which led them to the title game, where they beat Notre Dame.
Here are the NCAA football odds posted at BetUS on the Ohio State-Texas game:
- Ohio State Buckeyes -3 (-105)
- Texas Longhorns +3 (-115)
- Over 50.5 Points -110
- Under 50.5 Points -110
Texas doesn’t lack for talent
You can’t beat the pedigree of Manning, who is the nephew of both Peyton and Eli, as well as the grandson of Archie. The question some Texas bettors may want to ask themselves is whether they will be paying a premium for that pedigree.
Texas is going to have some athletes, and that is especially the case with the momentum head coach Steve Sarkisian has built up. But there may be a few concerns in the matchup itself.
Will the Longhorns’ ground game suffer?
One of the concerns we refer to is the fear that Texas may not have that star running back that can take control of things. Quintrevion Wisner topped the 1000-yard mark, but that only averaged out to 71 yards a game. He’s no Bijon Robinson. Teams like Georgia, Arizona State and Michigan slowed him down considerably. And Ohio State put the stop sign on in the semi-final game, holding him to 46 yards.
The Longhorns are also in a position where they have to replace four of their five starting offensive linemen.
The Ohio State defense could make Manning uncomfortable
Manning (the +600 Heisman Trophy favorite at BetOnline) will have to throw into the teeth of one of the nation’s best secondaries. There are two outstanding corners in Davison Igbinosun and Jermaine Mathews, and an All-American safety in Caleb Downs, who is going to be a very high draft choice. It’;s likely that North Carolina transfer Beau Atkinson is going to have a real impact up front rushing the passer.
For what it’s worth, the new defensive coordinator in Columbus is Matt Patricia, who won Super Bowls as an assistant with the New England Patriots.
Ohio State on offense: Lots of weapons….just Sayin
To be perfectly honest, OSU doesn’t have a star running back either. So we’ll see who gets the most carries between James Peoples and CJ Donaldson.
While Manning is going to get most of the attention, the Buckeyes may just have a star-in-waiting behind center. Julian Sayin was right near the top of his own high school quarterback class, and after becoming an early enrollee at Alabama he put himself in the transfer portal when Nick Saban retired. He has all the tools.
More importantly, he has great receivers to throw to. Jeremiah Smith may be the best in the country; he averaged 17.3 yards on 76 catches and scored fifteen touchdowns. He is extremely dangerous, and opposing defensive coordinators construct game plans just to deal with him. BetUS has him priced at +1000 to win the Heisman Trophy.
Carnell Tate and Brandon Inniss are also big threats, as the Buckeyes continue to churn out wide receivers. Max Klare, a Purdue transfer, is going to be a key figure at tight end, so don’t discount his presence.
Conclusion
Both of these teams are capable of winning the national title. In fact, they are each priced at +500 to win it all by the folks at BetUS.
The initial instinct here is to take any points that are available. But the home field advantage in the Horseshoe means something, and we’re anticipating that Manning might have a harder time than expected navigating this secondary.
Yes, we’ll lay the points.
