Ohio State's 'Battle-Tested' Mission Starts at Texas — SkimNews
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- Jeremiah Smith and Julian Sayin said Ohio State wasn't 'battle tested' entering last season's College Football Playoff, having played only one meaningful opponent (Texas in the opener) and going more than three months without a one-score game before the postseason.
- Ohio State faces six preseason Top 25 teams, with four road tests — at Texas, Iowa (Oct. 3), Indiana (Oct. 17), and USC (Oct. 31) — while Oregon visits Columbus on Nov. 7.
- Texas is a slight favorite on DraftKings for Saturday's rematch; if the line holds, it would mark only the 14th time since 1978 that an AP No. 1 team is an underdog in a regular-season game.
- Ryan Day designed the offseason around winning big road matchups starting with Texas, resting most starters — including Smith — in the second half of a 56-3 win over Ball State to preserve them for Austin.
- Arch Manning completed just 9 of 15 passes for 38 yards with an interception through three quarters against Ohio State last year, but rebounded later with seven touchdowns and no picks while Texas closed with double-digit wins over Arkansas, Texas A&M, and Michigan.
- Texas is 20-1 at home since the start of 2023 and reloaded with blue-chip WR transfer Cam Coleman plus 13 returning starters, including preseason All-America pass rusher Colin Simmons.
Why it matters: Ohio State's Big Ten title-game loss to Indiana and Cotton Bowl collapse against Miami both came in tight fourth quarters after a regular season devoid of close games — and the No. 1 team's response is a schedule deliberately built to force late-game reps before the expanded CFP demands them.
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