Kirk Herbstreit Says 'Most Pressure' is on Arch Manning, Texas to Beat Ohio State

Last season, the Ohio State Buckeyes met the Texas Longhorns for the first time in over a decade in the Cotton Bowl Classic. The game was closely contested through the first three quarters, knotted at 14-14 heading into the fourth.

Quarterback Will Howard, running back Quinshon Judkins, and linebacker Jack Sawyer led the Buckeyes to a dominant final period, though, as Ohio State ended up on top, 28-14. Sawyer's strip sack of Longhorns QB Quinn Ewers that ended a potentially game-tying drive and turned into a defensive touchdown for OSU would become the lasting play for their eventual run to take home the College Football Playoff National Championship.

The Buckeyes' first game of the 2025 NCAA season will be a rematch of the Cotton Bowl, a clash that is sure to further drive a budding rivalry between Ohio State and one of its greatest recent recruiting competitors. Starting the year off with a loss would be a huge blow to either team, while notching such a high-profile win to kick off the campaign would be a significant boon to the AP placement of the victor.

Naturally, the Buckeyes have a ton of pressure on them as reigning champions, but this matchup could be even more important to the Longhorns and potential future number-one pick, quarterback Arch Manning. Per The Escapist, ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit believes that Texas and its young phenom gunslinger have more riding on the game:

"[You] have the defending national champs that are always under pressure, especially at home. You have Texas coming in with Steve Sarkisian and with Arch Manning. I don’t think it’s a lose-the-game, you’re-out-of-the-playoff kind of game. So I don’t know if it’s that kind of pressure, but I think just the expectations on Arch Manning, he probably has the most pressure."

Manning will begin his first campaign as the Longhorns' full-time starting quarterback against a Buckeyes defense that's hungry to prove that it's just as capable as last season's top-ranked unit, including Kenyatta Jackson Jr., who will be looking to earn a first-round draft grade this year. Manning will have an immensely difficult test in Week 1 to prove himself as the top prospect in the 2026 NFL Draft.