The Ohio State Buckeyes travel to Austin for a primetime Week 2 showdown against the Texas Longhorns on Saturday, and it could serve as a college football playoff preview between two of the best teams in the country.

Ohio State opened the 2026 season with a 56-3 demolition of Ball State, clicking on both sides of the ball. The blowout went as it should have, but Ryan Day’s staff clearly held back schematically with Texas lurking in Week 2. 

The Longhorns took care of Texas State in similarly lopsided fashion, and now both programs are locked in on each other.

Betting odds for Ohio State vs. Texas and Arch Manning in Week 2 

Ohio State is a 1.5-point underdog according to FanDuel, a line that essentially reflects home-field advantage and nothing more.

Unlike last year, when the Buckeyes opened the season directly against Texas, each team got a tune-up game before the marquee game. That extra week of game film adds a layer of preparation for both coaching staffs heading into Saturday night.

The betting line favoring Texas is notable for one reason: Steve Sarkisian has not beaten Ohio State in his last couple of tries. The Buckeyes defeated the Longhorns 14-7 in the 2025 season opener, then knocked them out again in the College Football Playoff semifinal on the way to a national championship win over Notre Dame in 2024. 

Ohio State owns this recent head-to-head series, and that history matters. If this game were in Columbus, the Buckeyes would likely be the 1.5-point favorite instead. The underdog tag gives Ohio State a little extra motivation heading into hostile territory, not that they needed it.

Ohio State has to get Jeremiah Smith going against Texas 

A major storyline heading into Saturday is how Texas plans to defend wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, who put up 151 yards in just one half against Ball State. The Longhorns have played Smith relatively well in prior meetings, but containing him for a full game for a third time would be big for them. 

Getting Smith free from double teams and finding ways to deliver the ball in those windows will be a key part of Ohio State’s offensive game plan. If the Buckeyes can scheme him open early, it could set the tone for the entire night.

Saturday also marks the second time Arch Manning and Julian Sayin face off in a quarterback battle, and it should be a compelling matchup between two talented signal-callers on a big stage.

Ohio State has handled Texas in consecutive matchups, and now the Buckeyes get a chance to do it again with the oddsmakers counting them as slight underdogs. The line is razor-thin, the talent gap is negligible, and the recent history favors Ohio State. Saturday night in Austin will tell us a lot about where both programs stand in 2026.