COLUMBUS, Ohio -- It does not need to be the "Game of the Century" to be the best season-opener of all time.
No. 1 Texas is the top-ranked team in the AP Preseason Top 25 for the first time in school history. No. 3 Ohio State is the defending national champion. It matches the 2017 season opener, when No. 1 Alabama beat No. 3 Florida State 24-7 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
"Pretty epic matchup when you think about 1 vs. 2 in at least one of the two major polls for the first game of the season is great for college football in my opinion," Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said at a press conference Monday. "As much as I'm going to talk about the rankings don't matter, which I believe that, I do think for college football fanfare, the excitement around this game is great."
Pressure point for Texas? A No. 1 team hasn't lost a season opener since 1990. Pressure point for Ohio State? The Buckeyes have not lost a season opener since 1999.
"When you go to recruiting and sit in people's homes, you talk about what it means to be a Buckeye and the great tradition and great games that are played," Ohio State coach Ryan Day said at a press conference Thursday. "To say, this is one of the best opening games that has ever been played in stadium history? I mean, come on. This is unbelievable.
"I think it's great for college football playing a game like this on opening weekend, and I have a tremendous amount of respect for Sark. I think when you look at our season – which is unique this year – one of the goals should be to win the opener. That's clear."
It is also clear this opener offers everything. Here are the five things to watch when it comes to the Buckeyes and Longhorns in Week 1.
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1. Arch Manning's debut as full-time starter
After a two-year tease, Arch Manning's time as Texas' starting quarterback is here. Imagine the pressure.
Manning – whose uncles Peyton and Eli each won two Super Bowls – comes with expectations not limited to Heisman Trophy front-runner and future No. 1 NFL Draft pick. He is facing the defending national champions in his third career start.
What kind of message did Sarkisian provide?
"It's go be him," Sarkisian said. "That really is our messaging to all of our players, though. You don't have to do anything you've never done before. We're not asking any super-human efforts of you to do anything extraordinary."
Sarkisian marveled at how Manning handles the hype in an environment where almost every day there is a new headline. If Manning leads the Longhorns to a victory here, then there is no stopping that.
"I think he's enjoyed college and he should, but at the end of the day I just feel like he's normal," Sarkisian said. "That's what I love about him. It's not some guy who feels like he is untouchable — he's better than everybody else — he doesn't do life like that, never mind football, like that. To me, the best part of his evolution is that he hasn't changed on that aspect of who he is. He stayed true to who he is and how he was raised."
Ohio State coach Ryan Day, meanwhile, was asked about whether new defensive coordinator Matt Patricia – who faced Eli and Peyton in the NFL as a coordinator in New England and head coach in Detroit – would use that experience to study Arch.
"Arch is a tremendous player as well, but that has nothing to do with this game and playing Texas," Day said. "(Peyton and Eli) have stayed out of it for the most part because they want him to write his own story."
The X-factor against Ohio State? Manning's mobility.
"When you turn on the film he has amazing arm talent," Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles said. "You see him make some pretty deep passes. He's a great athlete. You have to be ready for him to run. He's a great playmaker."
Manning is not the only high-profile quarterback in this matchup.
SN QB RANKINGS: Top 25 | Big Ten | SEC | Big 12 | ACC
2. Meet Julian Sayin, Ohio State's new QB
Brandon Inniss – who is expected to take on a larger role as a slot receiver – can tell you the difference with new quarterback Julian Sayin in the last week.
"When Coach Day announced him as QB1 – ever since then you can see a different step in his game," Inniss said after Thursday's practice. "He is much more comfortable out there making plays left and right."
Sayin – a former Alabama commit who transferred to Ohio State shortly after Nick Saban retired – faces pressure here, too. He follows Will Howard – who led the Buckeyes to the national championship last season. Three of Ohio State's last four starters before that – C.J. Stroud, Justin Fields and Dwayne Haskins – were first-round picks. While Manning has more long-term expectations, Sayin steps into arguably the most pressure-packed job in college football. There is a difference.
What kind of message did Day provide?
"The message is you just win," Day said. "Find a way to win. When you start setting expectations, you can get yourself out of whack. He needs to lean into those players and find a way to win the game. We'll try to get him into a rhythm and go from there."
Sarkisian is well aware of the talent Sayin possesses, too.
"Julian is a really good player," Sarkisian said. "He's a natural passer and has a quick release. He's a better athlete than you think. He can run, so we definitely need to be alert to that and ready for that."
3. Jeremiah Smith's second shot at Texas
Ohio State safety Caleb Downs was asked for role reversal. What does he think Texas defensive players were studying during film study?
"They are probably thinking, 'Where is Jeremiah?'"
Jeremiah Smith – the 6-foot-3, 223-pound receiver who 76 catches for 1,315 yards and 15 TDs as a freshman. He had a season-low one catch for three yards against the Longhorns last season, and this is the first game with new offensive coordinator Brian Hartline.
Texas lost cornerback Jahdae Barron and safety Andrew Mukuba to the NFL Draft. Will the Longhorns roll double coverage to Smith? If so, that will create opportunities for Carnell Tate and Inniss.
"JJ is JJ," Inniss said. "It would be dumb to leave him 1-on-1. We expect what we expect, but JJ is going to be good. We’ve seen it before with Marvin (Harrison Jr.)," Inniss said. "A lot of teams tried to do that to him. It's nothing different or something Ohio State hasn’t seen. We’ve been game-planning really well. We'll be good."
Texas has receivers, too. Sophomore Ryan Wingo averaged 16.3 yards per catch last season and DeAndre Moore had four catches for 104 yards and two TDs in Manning’s last start against Mississippi State last season.
MORE: Sporting News 2025 Preseason All-America Team
4. New Ohio State, Texas stars ready to shine
This is a rematch of last year's College Football Playoff semifinal which Ohio State won 28-14 at the Cotton Bowl Classic on Jan. 10.
"Think about the quality of players in this game," Sarkisian said. "Look at last year's game — 26 players got drafted. You include free agents — 32 players that were playing in that game a year ago are now in the NFL."
That does not mean this game is not loaded. Ohio State and Texas combined for nine players on Sporting News Preseason All-America team, led by Manning and Smith.
Texas also features linebacker Anthony Hill Jr., safety Michael Taffee, edge rusher Colin Simmons and running back Quintrevion Wisner. Ohio State features Downs, Styles and receiver Carnell Tate. This a star-studded affair, and there was some minor social media board material when Simmons posted a picture of Sayin on Instagram.
"Honestly, I'm just excited that they chose a quarterback," Simmons said via 247Sports.com. "You know, there's really nothing major behind it I'd say. It's no target for him or nothing like that. I'm just glad that they have a quarterback that I'm ready to sack."
Looking for a breakout player on defense? Try Ohio State's Kenyatta Jackson Jr., an edge rusher who generated buzz in fall camp for a defense that lost JT Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer to the NFL. On offense? Keep an eye on Ohio State tight end Max Klare, a Purdue transfer; and Texas tight end Jack Endries, a Cal transfer, especially on third downs.
5. The Big Noon drama
On May 28, Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte confirmed the Longhorns blocked moving this game to Sunday night. The Buckeyes played half of their games at noon on Fox last season. Big Noon Kickoff analyst Dave Portnoy's status is even a topic of conversation.
How much does the time matter? Would you believe a noon game is an advantage for Texas in some ways? Let Mack Brown explain. Brown was Texas' coach the last time the Longhorns visited The Shoe.
"It will be really interesting to see if there is a difference between noon or 8 o'clock at night," Brown told The Sporting News. "I think it's a great advantage that Texas is going at noon. Not just the time of game for the crowd, but also they're going to fly in late, they'll eat dinner, they'll get up and go play. We had to sit there all day, and that's a long day when you're playing a game of this magnitude at night with that crowd."
No. 2 Texas beat No. 4 Ohio State on Sept. 10, 2005 in an instant classic where Vince Young hit Limas Sweed for the go-ahead TD with 2:37 remaining. The Longhorns won 25-22 and went on to win the BCS championship with a thrilling 41-38 victory against USC at the Rose Bowl.
Brown knows Ohio Stadium will be a challenge for the Longhorns this year, especially with four new starters on the offensive line.
"If it's not the best and toughest environment in college football, it's in the top three or four," Brown said. "We couldn't hear anything."
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