The Ohio State Buckeyes visit the Texas Longhorns on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026 at 7:30 p.m. ET from DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas.
Ohio State opened its season with a 56-3 win over Ball State to move to 1-0, and Texas is also 1-0 by way of a 59-7 win over Texas State. Ohio State's passing game set the tone in that opener. Quarterback Julian Sayin threw for 320 yards and three touchdowns without an interception, and receiver Jeremiah Smith led the offense with 151 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Texas matched that production. Quarterback Arch Manning passed for 305 yards and four touchdowns with one interception, receiver Ryan Wingo added 121 receiving yards, and running back Raleek Brown scored twice on the ground. The Longhorns are 1.5-point favorites over the Buckeyes at consensus lines, with a total of 49.5 and a moneyline of -122 for the Longhorns and +100 for the Buckeyes.
Below, we'll give you all the details you need to know about how to watch this game. How to Watch Ohio State vs. Texas Players to Watch A rematch of last season's Cotton Bowl semifinal puts extra weight on how Ohio State's quarterback handles the moment, and Julian Sayin has answered every question so far.
He completed 21 of 25 passes for 320 yards and three touchdowns, and added a rushing score, in a 56-3 rout of Ball State to open the year. Saturday brings a different level of competition in Arch Manning and a Texas defense that will test his accuracy under duress. If Sayin sustains that efficiency against ranked competition, Ohio State's national title defense stays on track from the opening weekend.
Texas needed its quarterback to look like a Heisman contender right away, and Arch Manning obliged, throwing for 305 yards and four touchdowns against one interception in a 59-7 win over Texas State. That performance came against overmatched competition; Saturday's visit from top ranked Ohio State is the real measuring stick for a Longhorns team that lost to these same Buckeyes in last season's Cotton Bowl. Manning found three different receivers for scores in the opener, spreading the ball well beyond Cam Coleman.
A poised outing against Ohio State's defense would validate Texas as a genuine playoff contender rather than a team still chasing signature wins. Coming off a two touchdown, 151 yard afternoon against Ball State, Jeremiah Smith enters the Texas game as the most proven weapon on either side of the ball. His first score was a contested, one handed grab in the end zone off play action, the kind of play that turns a clean coverage rep into a disaster for a secondary.
Texas showed some vulnerability on the perimeter in its opener, and Smith's size and ball skills make him a matchup problem regardless of who lines up across from him. If he draws similar attention Saturday, it should open room underneath for Ohio State's running game against a Longhorns defense that has to respect him on every snap. Cam Coleman needed only three catches to make his Texas debut memorable, turning them into 70 yards and two touchdowns, including a 44 yard connection with Arch Manning, in the win over Texas State.
The Auburn transfer arrived in Austin as the consensus top non-quarterback name in the transfer portal, and the early chemistry with Manning already looks ahead of schedule. Ohio State's secondary returns plenty of experience but will see a different blend of speed and catch radius in Coleman than it faced in the opener. A big play from him against a ranked opponent would confirm Texas found its most explosive answer to replacing last year's receiving corps.
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