Texas vs. Ohio State Final Score Prediction for College Football Week 1

Iain MacMillan | Aug 29, 2025

Ohio State is a slight favorite against Texas in Week 1 of the college football season. / Kyle Robertson/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Week 1 of the college football season is going to get the season started off with a bang. Sure, we've already had a few games in Week 0, but the true start to the season is this weekend.

The biggest game of the week, which may end up being the biggest game of the season, is this Saturday when the No. 1 Texas Longhorns take on the No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes in a rematch of last year's Cotton Bowl.

Ohio State and Texas were tied 14-14 heading into the fourth quarter of the Cotton Bowl, but the Buckeyes pulled away to win 28-14, eventually going on to win the National Championship.

In this article, we're going to take a look at the odds for this marquee matchup, and then I'll not only predict the winner, but I'll give you my guess for the final score.

Texas vs. Ohio State Odds, Spread, and Total

Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook

Spread

• Texas +2.5 (-110)
• Ohio State -2.5 (-110)

Moneyline

• Texas +105
• Ohio State -126

Total

• Over 47.5 (-114)
• Under 47.5 (-106)

Texas vs. Ohio State Final Score Prediction

In my full betting preview, I broke down why I'm taking the points with the Longhorns:

Ohio State has to deal with the more difficult turnover from last year's National Championship team to this year's version of the squad. It wasn't just talent that the Buckeyes lost, but also leadership in key roles.

Meanwhile, Texas seems poised to establish itself as the top team in the nation with Manning now set as its permanent starter. A lot of people felt the Longhorns would've been better off last season if he were the full-time starter over Quinn Ewers, so confidence has to be at an all-time high for one of the deepest teams in the country.

Last year's Cotton Bowl victory is weighing heavily on this spread. If those two teams hadn't met in the playoffs and had been on opposite sides of the bracket, I think this game would be much closer to a pick'em, so I'll back the Longhorns getting 2.5 points.

If I'm going to predict the final score, I have to predict whether the total will go over or under as well. With the total set at 47.5, I'm going to take the UNDER. These two teams had two of the best defenses in the country last season, ranking first and second in opponent yards per play, allowing just 4.0 and 4.2 yards per snap.

Both teams will also have to settle into new quarterback play, which means it's likely going to take a couple of games for both offenses to fully find their stride.

Final Score Prediction: Texas 20, Ohio State 16

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