Breaking Down Texas vs. Ohio State: Matchups, X-Factors, and CFP Stakes

This isn’t just the top college football game of Week 1. It’s the kind of matchup that makes you cancel plans, silence your phone, and settle in — because you might be watching the national champion.

Two of the sport’s biggest brands — Texas and Ohio State — loaded with NFL talent and Heisman contenders, are set to collide in one of the most anticipated season openers in recent memory.

Everywhere you look, there’s intrigue. A former five-star QB prospect, Julian Sayin, making his first career start on one of the biggest stages in the sport. A Heisman favorite in Arch Manning, who’s only started two games, leading the No. 1-ranked team into the home of the defending national champions. A generational wide receiver talent in Jeremiah Smith, looking to avenge the only quiet game of his career — a one-catch, three-yard performance in last year’s CFP semifinal against Texas. This is a game where the margins are razor-thin — and the implications are enormous.

To break it all down, our writers tackled the key matchups, spotlighted the X-factors, explored the CFP and Heisman stakes — and made their picks.

Let’s get into it.

RJ Young: Texas’ secondary vs. Jeremiah Smith

Despite a two-touchdown win by Ohio State the last time it squared up with Texas, the Longhorns did not let Jeremiah Smith beat them. Heck, they made sure he touched the ball just one time — for three yards. Texas’ decision to bracket Smith with Longhorn defenders running a virtual triangle around him led to 1-on-1 matchups elsewhere, and former OSU QB Will Howard exploited them, completing 24 of 33 passes for 289 yards with one TD and one INT. 

I’ll be watching to find out if Texas defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski deploys that scheme again on Saturday and