2025 Texas Longhorns Way-Too-Early Week 1 Preview: Ohio State Buckeyes

The 2025-26 college football season is only a few months away, making it time to start focusing on the Texas Longhorns' matchups in their second year in the Southeastern Conference. Steve Sarkisian's team will open up the season against the same opponent that ended its last one, traveling to Columbus to face the reigning champion Ohio State Buckeyes on Aug. 30.

With both teams expected to be very highly ranked and this a rematch of last year's College Football Playoff national semifinal, the matchup is one of the most anticipated openers in college football history. In its May 15 preview of the upcoming year, ESPN has the Week 1 square-off as its top game to watch all regular season.

For both sides, the on-field personnel will look quite different from when Ohio State defeated Texas in the Cotton Bowl. The Buckeyes (46%) and Longhorns (45%) rank 101th and 103rd, respectively, in returning production from last year amongst the 136 FBS schools.

Texas defense — Texas Longhorns edge rushers Colin Simmons (11) and Ethan Burke (91) celebrate a sack during the College Football Playoff semifinal game against Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium on Friday, Jan. 10, 2024 in Arlington, Texas. | Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Ohio State saw 14 players get selected in the 2025 NFL Draft, which was the most out of any team and tied the Buckeyes' school record. Texas had 12 of its players picked, setting a new school record. Many of the notable starters on each side of the ball have moved on from the college level, making Week 1 a transitional game and a potential reality check for both teams.

Example No. 1 is at quarterback, with Ohio State in the midst of a positional battle for the starting role after the departure of Will Howard and Texas shifting from Quinn Ewers to Arch Manning.

As a result of the programs' level of roster transformation and the state of the CFP format, the season opener will not be a be-all and end-all for either side. The winner will receive a huge early jolt of momentum toward their playoff positioning, while the losing side will need to lean more heavily on conference play to make their case. But the Week 1 result will not guarantee or deny anything.

Both the Buckeyes and Longhorns will have to prove themselves down the stretch in conference rivalries and tough road environments.

The Aug. 30 meeting is each team's sole high-profile test in non-conference play. The Buckeyes will host Grambling State and Ohio after Texas to make up their first three weeks, then enter a nine-game Big 10 slate that features matchups against Penn State, Illinois and Michigan. The Longhorns have games against San Jose State, UTEP and Sam Houston following Ohio State and ahead of an eight-game SEC schedule that includes battles with Oklahoma, Georgia and Texas A&M.

Ohio Stadium is the first host in the home-and-home series between the two college football powerhouses. In 2026, Ohio State will travel to Darrell K Royal Memorial Stadium on Sept. 12 in what is expected to be each team's second game of the season.