Ohio State Sends Reminder to Texas Ahead of Week 1 Game

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Spencer Ostrow | Last updated Aug 23, 2025 11:19 AM ET

The No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes will open their national title defense in Week 1 with a showdown in Columbus against the top-ranked Texas Longhorns. It's the first leg of a home-and-home series the two bluebloods scheduled back in 2012, with the return game set for 2026 in Austin.

Saturday marked the one-week countdown to the opener, and Ohio State used the day to remind Texas of what happened when they last played — choosing a very deliberate first photo for its social media post.

"one more week," Ohio State wrote, posting a shot of linebacker Sonny Styles holding up one finger after leveling former Texas tight end Gunnar Helm with a big hit.

Ohio State could’ve led its post with any other photo, but chose one that featured Texas. And notably, the Longhorns didn’t appear in any of the other slides.

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Ohio State Beat Texas in January

With the home-and-home series, Ohio State and Texas will face off in three straight seasons, with last season's meeting taking place at the Cotton Bowl Classic in the College Football Playoff semifinal, where the Buckeyes won 28-14.

Texas never held a lead in that one but kept the game close until the fourth quarter. In the final frame, the Buckeyes outscored the Longhorns 14-0.

Fresh Faces Under Center for Both Programs

This season's matchup between Ohio State and Texas will showcase two new starting quarterbacks, with Will Howard now with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Quinn Ewers with the Miami Dolphins.

For the Buckeyes, it’s Julian Sayin, a former five-star recruit in the class of 2024. Sayin originally signed with Alabama, but after Nick Saban’s retirement, he transferred to Columbus before ever playing a down in Tuscaloosa. The redshirt freshman went on to beat out sophomore Lincoln Kienholz for the starting job.

For the Longhorns, it’s finally Arch Manning time. Manning, the nephew of NFL legends Peyton and Eli Manning and the grandson of Archie Manning, is entering his first season as Texas’ starting quarterback. The redshirt sophomore backed up Ewers last season but saw plenty of action, taking short-yardage snaps and even starting two games when Ewers was sidelined.

The former five-star recruit and No. 1 prospect in the class of 2023 threw for 939 yards, nine touchdowns and two interceptions last season while also adding four rushing touchdowns.