SUBSCRIBE to our emails here.

Ohio State vs. Texas will be ‘a barometer’ for the college football landscape

For a college football season that is shrouded with uncertainty and little predictability, we couldn’t have been given a better noon game than Texas vs. Ohio State. Not only is this game a battle between the top two-ranked teams, but it also serves as a measuring stick for which teams are legitimate national title threats.

While previewing the game for Texas, our Zach Berry shared a comment made by Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian about how this first game will help evaluate his squad.

“I think at the end of the day, this is going to serve as a great barometer for us of where we’re at.”

After reading this quote, I began to examine how this game has a deeper meaning than just its association with Texas. This game will completely redefine how we approach the upcoming season. After we’ve spent an offseason hyping up programs across the country, we won’t need to wait multiple weeks to gauge who the team to beat is. This game is unlike your typical ranked Week 1 matchup. We rarely see a No. 1 vs No. 2 clash to start a season, in the noon time slot, no less.

If Texas wins this ball game, it confirms most of the preseason projections about this team. A victory means that their talented and deep defense is successful in slowing down a high-flying receiver group. It also means that Arch Manning was ready to shine on the grandest stage possible. Most importantly, we have a reference point for how the rest of the SEC needs to look if they hope to win the conference.

A 1-0 Texas team becomes the team that everyone is chasing to surpass for the rest of the year. Finding success in a road environment with no room for error makes them the clear favorite for the national title until someone knocks them off.

If Ohio State wins, it turns the season on its head. Ohio State was heavily depleted with multiple key defensive and offensive leaders heading to the NFL. Not to mention two new coordinators taking over on both sides of the ball. If Ohio State can win despite all of that with a redshirt freshman quarterback, this season will be chaotic.

While Ohio State is loaded with 5-star talent that has been incubating, they’re not expected to be ready to contend immediately. It’s one of the most challenging accomplishments in college football to be able to reload after losing most of your key upperclassmen following a national championship. Veteran-laden teams dominate the sport. Ultimately, if Ohio State can beat the deeper team, then we must prepare ourselves for a constant reshuffling of who the best teams are.

Lastly, it will also fuel the debate that the Big Ten has passed the SEC. Two straight national titles for the conference set the table for midwesterners feeling they’re going to dominate college football. But if the SEC’s best representative can’t beat a green Ohio State team, then the conference may truly be at its low point.

It will be an exhilarating battle on Saturday between two historic programs. And college football fans should be excited to overreact to the outcome.

“I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the defense, but I feel at this point everyone knows what you’re getting. I think Saturday is won on the offensive side of the football. Manning has to make plays, the Longhorns have to move the sticks in key spots, and the run game has to be good enough to take some pressure off the first-year starter.” —Zach Berry

Can Kaidon Salter pick up where Shedeur Sanders left off?

As long as Deion Sanders is in Boulder, there will always be national attention on Colorado. Despite this, it feels like their starting quarterback for 2025, Kaidon Salter, is being incredibly overlooked.

Coach Prime announced the winner of Colorado’s quarterback battle this week, as the Liberty transfer Salter will get the nod over 17-year-old freshman JuJu Lewis. Our Ian Valentino reacted to that news and broke down what to expect from Salter this season.

“Salter is hoping to make his own bid as an NFL prospect for 2026. Profiling best as a backup, he’ll have to master some more advanced concepts from offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur, though I expect a high dosage of easy RPO concepts to ease the transition.” —Ian Valentino

Salter has so much potential to be a catalyst for Colorado’s success in 2025. A rocky 2024 season for Salter altered our perception of him, despite his team not having a strong supporting cast at Liberty. Last season, Salter finished with 1,886 passing yards, 587 rushing yards, 22 total touchdowns, and six interceptions. In 2023, Salter was electric with 2,876 passing yards, 1,089 rushing yards, 44 total touchdowns, and six interceptions.

The 2023 version of Salter is far more reflective of what he can be this year. This is Sanders’ deepest team at Colorado, with a solid offensive line and dynamic receiver room. Salter’s duel-threat ability and top-end speed will ignite a run game that desperately needed juice a season ago.

We’ll get an immediate answer to the question of whether Salter can ball, as the Buffs are playing Georgia Tech at home at 8 p.m. ET on Friday night. A primetime matchup against one of the most physical teams in college football is the perfect test for this entire Colorado football program.

I genuinely believe that by the end of the season, we’ll be talking about Salter as one of the most productive quarterbacks in the country. The environment that Sanders has built in Boulder is perfect for Salter to recapture national attention, but this time as a proven playmaker on a P4 team.

---

Only A to Z Sports newsletter subscribers get the rest of this email, which has the latest CFB news and more.

Don’t miss out on our upcoming full newsletter: SUBSCRIBE to our FREE weekly CFB newsletter to receive updates on your favorite CFB team and the rest of the league straight to your inbox.