Ohio State Buckeyes' Week 1 Game vs. Texas Receives Major Ranking

The Ohio State Buckeyes will juice up their non-conference schedule with the Arch Manning-led Texas Longhorns in 2025, a major critique of their schedule a season ago.

Both teams are expected to open the season as a top-five program in college football. Both teams spent millions on their roster, and both are expected to a strong contender for a national championship towards the end of the season. The Buckeyes are coming off a national championship themselves, taking down the Longhorns en route to being the first winner of the 12-team format.

The Longhorns-Buckeyes were arguably the most competitive game in the College Football Playoff, and with Manning taking over from Quinn Ewers, Texas should command millions of eyes for every game as well, helping juice the ratings. When it visits Ohio Stadium on August 30, one of the first games of the season, it could be the most-watched game of the season. ESPN's Bill Connelly has high expectations for this battle, listing it as his No. 1 game for the 2025 season.

"Two of the richest programs in the country, playing in a rematch of a down-to-the-wire CFP semifinal, with two former all-world recruits at quarterback -- Texas' Manning and, potentially, Ohio State's Julian Sayin (if he can hold off Lincoln Kienholz)? Is it even possible to have a bigger opening-week showdown?" Connelly wrote.

Alabama vs. Georgia was No. 2 with Ohio State vs. Penn State coming in at No. 3. The Buckeyes vs. Wolverines was listed at No. 10, partially because Michigan isn't expected to have a contending program this upcoming season.

The Buckeyes have superstars on both sides of the ball with Caleb Downs at safety and Jeremiah Smith as their top receiver. As for the major questions, those will mainly be on the offensive and defensive line. How well Julian Sayin, who is the expected start, will play is also something to keep an eye on.

While it won't be a make-or-break game for either side, the Buckeyes-Longhorns will be a major early-season battle that all college football fans will have their eyes glued to.