The Texas Longhorns and Ohio State Buckeyes played what could’ve been the deciding game in last year’s College Football Playoff. Had it not been for a Jack Sawyer scoop-and-score late in the contest, Texas might’ve had a chance to pull off the win and go on to, like Ohio State, win the title.

They didn’t do that, as Quinn Ewers’ fumble near the end zone proved to be catastrophic. Now, armed with Arch Manning and revenge on their minds, they have the chance to get the Buckeyes back in Week 1 this season. Head coach Steve Sarkisian is not at all worried about having such a huge matchup to open the season.

Steve Sarkisian motivating team with looming OSU match

The Texas Longhorns may have literally the toughest task in Week 1 of any college team: defeating the defending champions. However, being in a difficult matchup early on is nothing new for Steve Sarkisian’s crew. They’ve had and won some games over great opponents to open seasons.

“I can always feel that little jab of what Ohio State is doing,” Sarkisian said via Sports Illustrated. “They’re in training camp too. They’re in team run and they’re sore and tired too. I’m sure [they feel] the same way about us. That’s the beauty of playing these games. This is three straight years for us. We played Alabama in Week 2 here and went to Alabama in Week 2, two years ago. We went to Michigan last year and this year we’re going to Ohio State. So this is three straight years that it’s not gonna be new for our veteran players, having played at Alabama, at Michigan and now at Ohio State.”

The Longhorns beat Alabama 34-24 in 2023, then took on and dismantled the defending champion Michigan Wolverines 31-12 in 2024, so they’re very experienced in these types of games. Arch Manning may not be, but his coach and teammates are. Additionally, it’s better to have such a heavyweight bout early in the season when a loss won’t totally derail their CFP hopes.