Overview
- The No. 1 Buckeyes will play No. 4 Longhorns in Austin on Saturday, Sept. 12 with kickoff at about 7:30 p.m. ET and national broadcast on ABC.
- Texas enters as a narrow favorite in betting markets with a spread near 1.5 points and a moneyline around -120 as sportsbooks factor home-field edge.
- Weather forecasts call for extreme heat in Austin with daytime highs above 100°F that could affect player conditioning and in-game rotation for both teams.
- Coaching and schematic changes are a subplot: Texas has new defensive coordinator Will Muschamp while Ohio State added Arthur Smith as offensive coordinator, shaping play-calling matchups.
- The game resumes a recent series Ohio State has won twice and highlights key individual matchups such as Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith versus the Texas secondary, with the result likely to shape national-title narratives and playoff positioning.