Steve Sarkisian Delivers Confident Message on Season Opener at Ohio State

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Cami Griffin | Last updated Jun 27, 2025 7:32 PM ET

The Texas Longhorns will open the 2025 college football season in Columbus against the Ohio State Buckeyes.

It's not only the top matchup of the week but one of the most anticipated games of the entire year. ESPN's College GameDay will be present and it's Lee Corso's final broadcast. It's the rematch of the College Football Playoff semifinal last season. Both teams will be ranked within the top five. The hype surrounding this game is warranted.

The Longhorns typically have at least one tune up game to get rid of any jitters and get back to form. Although that won't be the case this year, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian sounds extremely confident in how his team will perform on Aug. 30.

Sarkisian made an appearance on the 3rd and Longhorn podcast this week and dished on a variety of topics during the hour-long discussion. Before oozing confidence in his team, Sarkisian praised Ohio State.

"This is going to be a heck of a challenge. They’re a great team, they’ve got a lot of great players coming back. They’ll have a lot of confidence. It’s a tough place to play," Sarkisian said. "But we'll be ready, and we'll be motivated."

Texas will enter the matchup with first-year starter Arch Manning under center. Running back CJ Baxter returns after missing all of last season with a knee injury, and wide receivers Ryan Wingo, DeAndre Moore, and Emmett Mosley among others look to be dangerous receiving threats.

The Longhorns defense is expected to be one of the top units in college football in 2025. Several of the nation's top defensive playmakers such as Anthony Hill Jr., Colin Simmons and Michael Taaffe lead the talented group.

The highly anticipated season opener will kick off at 11 a.m. CT on Saturday, Aug. 30.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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