One Analyst Was Not Impressed With Either Texas or Ohio State on Saturday

The Texas Longhorns and Ohio State Buckeyes didn't exactly light up the scoreboard over the weekend.

Texas Longhorns running back Quintrevion Wisner (5) runs past Ohio State Buckeyes defensive end Eddrick Houston (96) during the second half of the NCAA football game at Ohio Stadium on Aug. 30, 2025. Ohio State won 14-7. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Saturday's matchup between the Texas Longhorns and Ohio State Buckeyes was the most-anticipated game of Week 1, and possibly the entire college football season, but whether or not it actually lived up to the hype is subjective.

It wasn't the fireworks show that some might've hoped for, that's for sure. Instead, it was a low-scoring defensive slugfest that the Buckeyes won 14-7 thanks in large part to two goal-line stands in the second half. Some can definitely appreciate a defensive showdown, but many baulked at the underwhelming performance from both offenses, especially Texas'.

In fact, that aspect of the game has one ESPN analyst wondering if either team is all they're cracked up to be.

Desmond Howard Says Texas Longhorns, Ohio State Buckeyes Didn't Look Like Top-5 Teams

Jan 1, 2025; Pasadena, California, USA; Desmond Howard on the ESPN Gameday set at Rose Bowl Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

During the pre-game show for Monday night's matchup between TCU and North Carolina, ESPN's Desmond Howard argued that neither the Longhorns nor Buckeyes lived up to the preseason hype on Saturday.

“I’m not a big fan of preseason rankings. To me, it’s not worth the paper it’s written on,” Howard said. “You look at Ohio State-Texas game, No. 1 vs. No. 3. Neither team played like a top-five team in my opinion. I thought both teams played OK. Obviously, Arch Manning was the big story coming into the game. He was an even bigger story coming out of the game because of the hype. Julian Sayin he played OK. Well enough to win.”

Howard continued on with his point about preseason rankings in general, claiming that this game exposed the flaws with the system as a whole.

“When you see these teams play, now you get a good feel for what they’re about, who they are, if they have an identity or not,” Howard said. “Then I think after three or four weeks, then maybe you want to start ranking these teams. But these preseason rankings are not worth the paper they’re written on.”

Howard's point about preseason rankings is fair, but claiming that neither Texas nor Ohio State belongs in the top five might be a step too far. Remember, these teams had two of the best defenses in the entire country last season, and both return a significant amount of production. With both teams breaking in new quarterbacks, it's not too surprising in hindsight that defenses ruled the day.

Could the offenses have been better? Absolutely. However, it's still too early to make any definitive statements on either team just yet.