Chris Vannini: Texas 17, Ohio State 14. I think the defenses win this game again, and Cam Coleman scores a winning touchdown in the final minutes.
Austin Green: Ohio State 20, Texas 17. I think Arch Manning performs much better tonight relative to this matchup a year ago (a very low bar, to be sure) but Ryan Day’s pedigree in big regular-season matchups is more trustworthy than that of Steve Sarkisian, and I’m picking the Buckeyes to get a big late-game turnover that leads to a winning field goal.
Manny Navarro: Texas 27, Ohio State 24. I predicted this in my preseason prognostications. No reason to switch things up. The Buckeyes have defeated Texas twice since January 2025, but neither game was in Austin, where the Longhorns have won 10 straight and forced at least one turnover in 24 straight. Jeremiah Smith still gets his — 100-plus receiving yards and a touchdown — but Colin Simmons and the Texas pass rush make Julian Sayin look mortal long enough for Manning to rally the Longhorns in the fourth quarter. Manning accounts for three touchdowns, including the game-winner to Ryan Wingo on fourth down with only seconds to play.
Cameron Teague Robinson: Texas 27, Ohio State 24. With two experienced quarterbacks, this will likely look much different than it did a year ago. Ohio State has full confidence in Sayin, much like the Longhorns do in Manning. It’s still early in the season, but both rushing attacks struggled a bit in the opener, especially when you factor in the overmatched opponents; the Longhorns ran for 156 yards on 36 carries against Texas State, while Ohio State ran for 237 yards on 35 attempts against Ball State, but 114 of those came on two carries. That will need to improve, but this game will likely come down to which defense can pressure the other quarterback and which QB can make the most plays on third down. And a lot of that will depend on the offensive line, and I have more confidence in Texas’ offensive tackles to hold up than Ohio State’s.