The Ohio State Buckeyes open the 2026 college football season with a huge challenge on the horizon. After a Week 1 tune-up against Ball State, Ohio State travels to Austin for a Week 2 showdown against the Texas Longhorns and quarterback Arch Manning in what projects as one of the biggest regular-season games in college football. Manning has made it clear he’s using last year’s loss to the Buckeyes as fuel heading into the rematch.

Ryan Day owns the head-to-head against Steve Sarkisian

Ohio State coach Ryan Day is 2-0 against Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian since Sarkisian took over in Austin. The Buckeyes won last year’s meeting 14-7 in Columbus and defeated the Longhorns in the College Football Playoff two seasons ago. Last year’s game was a defensive slugfest where Ohio State led 14-0 until about three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter before Texas made it a one-score contest.

Manning’s first major road start of his career came in that game, and the results were rough. The Texas quarterback completed 17 of 30 passes for 170 yards, one touchdown pass, and one interception. He added 38 rushing yards with his legs, but it was a game that left a lot to be desired for the Longhorns’ offense.

Manning sounds ready for another crack at the Buckeyes

As the 2025 season progressed, Manning improved considerably as a passer and a quarterback. He finished the year with 3,163 passing yards, 26 touchdowns, and seven interceptions in his first full season as a starter. Now the 6-foot-4 quarterback, who is a highly touted prospect for the 2027 NFL Draft, gets another shot at Ohio State with a different set of circumstances.

“I learned a lot. Obviously, gaining those game experiences is really good for me,” Manning said on Thursday at SEC Media Days. “That was a rough game, so I’m learning from it and moving on and it’s motivating me for this year.”

This time, the game will be played in Austin rather than Columbus, which flips the home-field advantage that favored the Buckeyes a year ago.

Manning has more help this time against the Buckeyes 

Texas has a boatload of playmakers surrounding Manning heading into the season, and none will be bigger than Auburn wide receiver transfer Cam Coleman. The connection between Manning and Coleman will be the matchup to watch in Week 2, and those are two players Ohio State is going to have to game plan for and be ready to contain.

The Buckeyes got the better of Manning in last year’s meeting, but the Texas quarterback looked like a different player after a full season of starting experience. Time will tell if that growth translates against an Ohio State defense that, but Manning’s mindset heading into the rematch suggests he’s treating it as a proving ground.