Texas Has One Major Advantage It Didn't Have in Last Year's Ohio State Loss

The No. 4 Texas Longhorns have a golden opportunity to gain a huge wave of momentum to begin their 2026 season as they get a chance to avenge their early-season loss to the No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes from a year ago in Week 2.

Both the Longhorns and the Buckeyes have massive expectations heading into the 2026 season, with making the College Football Playoff at the bare minimum. Both powerhouse programs are viewed as national championship contenders.

And while both teams look different from a roster point of view, both teams are still loaded with talent; however, the 2026 version of Texas vs. Ohio State has one major difference that could play in the Longhorns' favor.

Ohio State Has to Play Texas and the Texas Crowd

In the previous two matchups against the Longhorns, the Buckeyes did not travel to Austin, playing in AT&T Stadium up in Arlington for the College Football Playoff Semifinal game in 2024, and in 2025, Ohio State hosted in Columbus.

Now the Longhorns get a chance to play in front of their home fans at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium as Texas hosts Ohio State under the bright lights with kickoff set for 6:30 p.m. CT, which will undoubtedly add another layer to Saturday night's games.

"Night games at DKR it's what it's all about," quarterback Arch Manning said about Saturday night's game. "Last night game was (Texas) A&M, so we're excited to be back. There's a lot of anticipation throughout the day in the hotel, a lot of sitting around, but we're excited to be there at night."

As Manning mentioned, the last time the Longhorns welcomed a team under the lights was the Lone Star Showdown against the Texas A&M Aggies a year ago, in which Texas came out victorious.

That game proved that the over 100,000 Texas fans in the stands can make an impact on the game, as the Aggies committed three pre-snap infractions as the loud crowd noise influenced the false start penalties.

What an environment at DKR last night. Here are the students going off when Mo Bamba was playing in the 4th. pic.twitter.com/BA7l30qnBc
— CJ Vogel (@CJVogel_OTF) November 29, 2025

And the Longhorns will look to use their environment to their advantage, which is something they didn't have in the first two matchups. Communication is key for any team on the road, and the crowd in Austin has proven it can make things different for an offense, which benefits the Longhorns over the Buckeyes.

While what happens on the field and the coaching on the sidelines will obviously be what determines the big-time matchup between Texas and Ohio State, the Longhorns have an ace up their sleeve, being at home in front of their fans, which will create a rowdy environment for the Buckeyes,

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