Ohio State vs. Texas prediction, odds, time: 2026 Week 2 college football picks by proven model — SkimNews
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- Texas Longhorns host the top-ranked Buckeyes at 7:30 p.m. ET at Texas Memorial Stadium as 1.5-point favorites, with the over/under sitting at 50.5 points after moving up one point from the opener.
- SportsLine's Projection Model simulated the matchup 10,000 times and is projecting 49 combined points, making the Under the value pick at a 51% hit rate — a pick that aligns with both prior head-to-head meetings finishing well under the total.
- Ohio State enters on a dominant 56-3 Week 1 win over Ball State that produced nearly 700 total yards, while Texas cruised past Texas State 59-7 with 360 passing yards behind Arch Manning.
- Ohio State has won both recent meetings against Texas — 14-7 in Columbus last season and 28-14 in the 2024 College Football Playoffs — and CBS Sports ranks both teams among the top 10 defensive fronts, with Ohio State also 12th nationally in completion percentage allowed.
- The model is on a 33-20 run on top-rated college football money-line picks since the 2024 season and has been upgraded for 2026 to better factor in transfer-portal movement.
Why it matters: Bettors following the SportsLine model have profited on a 33-20 CFB money-line run since 2024, and Saturday's clash is the first real test of two programs that combined to score 115 points in Week 1 mismatches — yet both prior head-to-head meetings finished at 21 and 42 combined points. With elite defensive fronts on both sides, the model's Under call leans into the defensive pattern rather than the lopsided Week 1 box scores.
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