The showcase game in Week 1 of the college football season features Texas vs. Ohio State — No. 1 vs. No. 3 — in a rematch of the 2024 College Football Playoff. The defending National Champion Ohio State Buckeyes return to the Horseshoe in Columbus, Ohio, to start their 2025 season against Heisman favorite QB Arch Manning.
Not only is Texas vs. Ohio State the most exciting matchup of Week 1; it's the most highly anticipated game of the 2025 college football season. It all gets started at at noon ET on FOX.
We'll give you our Texas vs. Ohio State prediction and CFB picks for PrizePicks, including Arch Manning and Jeremiah Smith player picks for PrizePicks CFB.
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Texas vs. Ohio State Prediction, Preview for CFB Week 1
Two of the top three ranked teams in college football open the 2025 season on Saturday at noon ET. They reunite after Ohio State knocked out Texas in the College Football Playoff semifinals, 28-14, in January, though both teams will look much different just seven months later.
The spotlight will be on Texas QB Arch Manning, who leads the Longhorns’ program after playing sparingly last season. Manning is one of the top choices to capture the Heisman Trophy and looks to grab a huge road win over the defending champions to keep the No. 1 ranking.
Texas Longhorns Preview
The expectations in Austin are sky-high entering coach Steve Sarkisian’s fifth season as head coach. The Longhorns finished 13-3 in 2024, which included a pair of playoff victories over Clemson and Arizona State.
Texas was tied with Ohio State at 14-14 in the fourth quarter of the semifinal round before the Buckeyes pulled away with a pair of touchdowns for the 28-14 victory.
Manning played significant time in three games last year, including a spectacular 325-yard performance against Mississippi State in a spot start, including 2 TDs on 26-of-31 passing.
Ohio State Buckeyes Preview
The Buckeyes closed the 2024 regular season with a 13-10 home loss to rival Michigan, putting head coach Ryan Day on the hot seat. But the Buckeyes still qualified for the College Football Playoff despite missing the Big Ten championship entirely.
Day finally got the Buckeyes over the hump in his sixth season as head coach, winning all three playoff games by double-digits — including avenging a loss vs. new Big Ten rival Oregon — for the program’s first title since 2014.
Ohio State will showcase redshirt freshman Julian Sayin at quarterback to replace Will Howard, who is now on the Steelers via the NFL Draft. While Sayin doesn't have the name value of Manning, he was the 2023 Gatorade Player of the Year and the top QB in the 2023 class.
That said, he starts his college career with the toughest possible spot — vs. the No. 1 team in the nation.
The Buckeyes’ offense lost its top two running backs to the NFL — TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins, but wide receiver Jeremiah Smith remains the focal point, as he ranked fourth in the country in receiving yards and is considered the best WR prospect in the country alongside Alabama's Ryan Williams.
The Buckeyes have won 25 straight Week 1 games, but none have been as important as this one.
Texas vs. Ohio State Picks – Saturday 8/30
There's plenty of action to look forward to in Texas vs. Ohio State on Saturday to kickoff Week 1 of college football. As the top teams in the SEC and the Big 10 go head-to-head, here are the player picks to target in PrizePicks real money college football game and in CFB DFS, including Arch Manning and Jeremiah Smith.
Texas QB Arch Manning vs. Ohio State Projection: 236.5 Passing Yards
All eyes will be on Manning, who is making his third career start on Saturday. The New Orleans native struggled in his first start against Louisiana-Monroe, completing 15-of-29 passes for 258 yards, 2 TDs, and 2 INTs.
Manning put together a tremendous outing the following week against Mississippi State, throwing for 325 yards in a 35-13 rout. The efficiency numbers improved, throwing five incompletions in 31 attempts, without an interception.
Following the return of quarterback Quinn Ewers from his injury, Manning compiiled 38 passing yards the rest of the season.
Now it’s Manning’s time to shine against an OSU defense that returns three players from last season’s title squad. In 2024, the Buckeyes ranked third in the country in pass defense, yielding 167.0 yards per contest.
The Buckeyes allowed at least 240 yards passing in four games last year, which included Ewers throwing for 283 yards in the College Football Playoff semifinal.
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Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith Projection: 82.5 Receiving Yards
Smith broke out in his freshman season to rack up 1,315 yards on 76 receptions with 15 TDs — quickly becoming a national sensation.
Interestingly enough, his worst game came against Texas, getting held to 1 catch for 3 yards in the semifinal victory against a ferocious secondary that ranked first in PFF coverage grade. In the previous week against Oregon, Smith torched the Ducks for 187 yards and 2 TDs in a 41-21 revenge rout for an earlier loss in Eugene.
In seven of 12 regular season games, Smith eclipsed 83 receiving yards, including three performances of at least 100 yards.
The electric wideout picked up more than 88 receiving yards in three of four playoff games, with the lone dud coming against Texas.
Texas RB Quintrevion Wisner Projection: 49.5 Rushing Yards
Texas RB Quintrevion Wisner enters his junior campaign in Austin following a breakout season with 1,064 yards and 5 TDs. In the semifinal loss to Ohio State, Wisner was limited to 46 yards on 17 carries.
Wisner posted a solid 110-yard performance and 2 TDs against Clemson in the playoff opener. However, he combined for 91 rushing yards in the final two playoff games against Arizona State and Ohio State.
Wisner’s biggest outputs came in consecutive wins over Kentucky and Texas A&M last November. He ran over the Wildcats for 158 yards, followed by a career-high 186-yard performance in the regular season finale against the Aggies.
In six of the final nine regular season games, Wisner had more than 54 rushing yards and at least 17 carries in all three road contests. He is expected to continue to be the workhorse in this offense in 2025.
Make CFB Picks on PrizePicks
Texas vs. Ohio State brings us one of the most anticipated games of the college football season. Both of these teams come in with new looks compared to when they last faced each other — but both are still stacked.
Will Texas get revenge on Ohio State for the 2024 Playoff semifinal loss? Or will the Buckeyes knock off the top-ranked team in the country in the season opener?
No matter what your take on this Big Noon Kickoff matchup is, you can win real money with your Texas vs. Ohio State predictions on PrizePicks while you watch.
Simply pick your players — from Jeremiah Smith to Arch Manning, predict More or Less on their projected stats, and win cash when you're right. It's that easy.
Check out the Playbook throughout the 2025 college season for more college football picks and predictions from our team of experts.
