Both the No. 5 Texas Longhorns and No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes secured dominant Week 1 wins.
The Longhorns recorded a 59-7 victory over Texas State, while Ohio State routed Ball State 56-3.
Now, the two teams will meet Saturday night in a primetime matchup on ABC under the lights. It will mark their third consecutive meeting.
Ohio State beat the Longhorns in the College Football Playoff two years ago on its way to a national championship. The Buckeyes then beat Texas again in Week 1 last season to kick off the college football season.
Steve Sarkisian Makes Statement on Ohio State
While speaking to the media Monday, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian made a strong and lengthy statement praising Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day and his entire team.
“Ohio State, they’re No. 1 in the country for a reason. Ryan (Day) has done a tremendous job with the program since taking over,” Sarkisian said on Monday. “Obviously national champions a few years ago. Brought in Matt Patricia last season and led the country in just about every defensive statistical category. This year he brings in Arthur Smith, so it’s a nice luxury to have, having two NFL head coaches on your staff as play callers.
Steve Sarkisian on Ohio State:
“Ohio State, they’re No. 1 in the country for a reason. Ryan (Day) has done a tremendous job with the program since taking over. Obviously national champions a few years ago. Brought in Matt Patricia last season and led the country in just about…
— Chase Brown (@chaseabrown__) September 7, 2026
Sarkisian Praises Buckeyes Roster
Sarkisian broke down the Buckeyes’ roster on both sides of the ball, praising several of their key players.
“They’ve reloaded. They’re extremely talented,” Sarkisian added. “I think we all know who Jeremiah Smith is offensively, but Julian Sayin is a heck of a player, Bo Jackson running the ball, they’ve got a veteran O-line, they’ve added some receivers to the mix, losing Carnell Tate. And then defensively they’ve reloaded as well. They’ve got some really good players and some guys that have grown up with (Jaylen) McClain, (Jermaine) Mathews, (Payton) Pierce. But also the addition of Christian) Alliegro, the addition of a John Walker. They still have Kenyatta Jackson, they still have Devin Sanchez.
“So this is a very, very talented football team that’s well-coached. But these are the games you love to be part of. We’re fortunate that we get to be part of these games as a staff, as players, as a fan base. We’re obviously looking forward to the opportunity. Should be a heck of a week.”
Steve Sarkisian Makes Strong Statement on Ryan Day, Ohio State