Ohio State’s defense kept Texas quarterback Arch Manning under control last year in Columbus. Now he and OSU quarterback Julian Sayin are a year older and wiser. (Press Pros Feature Photos)
More games between power conference teams would be great. Because the more they schedule, the more you get ones like No. 1 Ohio State at No. 4 Texas.
Columbus, OH – Texas again?
“It’s great for college football.”
Ryan Day said that during his Tuesday news conference, and he meant it, even if he didn’t say it with a smile on his face. He knows it’s a 50-50 game. And he knows it’s good for his team as it preps for a difficult Big Ten schedule.
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The goal against this level of opponent is one-legged: Just win.
And, yes, a game like this in September is good for the sport. The more marquee matchups and good matchups between power conference teams the better. The sport needs more weekly big games, exciting games and meaningful games. Anything to drown out the drama.
Veteran columnist Jeff Gilbert writes the OHSAA and Ohio State sports for Press Pros Magazine.com. Follow on X @jw_gilbert
Since Day became Ohio State’s head coach, college football has raised the curtain on one melodramatic scene after another. Many who care about college football would argue that not much that has happened off the field is good for the sport. At least from the fans’ perspective.
Most fans, at one time or another, decry some or all of the following: free agency of the transfer portal, proliferation of NIL dollars for amateur athletes, expanded playoff with another possible expansion coming, numerous ill-timed coaching changes, continued fallout from the actions of Lane Kiffin, news that the SEC is hunting for a way to kick LSU out of the league, Michigan scandals, and replay fiascos like what transpired Saturday night in the Big House.
That’s a lot to adapt to and accept as a new normal, and Day has done so as well as any head coach without complaining too much.
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Meanwhile, playing Texas for a third straight season and in the regular season twice is starting to feel like a conference game. Probably because nonconference, intersectional games are the most anticipated games every September, but not enough of them exist. The Buckeyes play home and home with Alabama in 2027 and 2028, then Georgia in 2030 and 2031.
In the in-between of 2029, the September slate is forgettable: Navy, Charlotte, Youngstown State. So enjoy these marquee matchups while you can. The hope is that more of them will be on the schedule in the future, but that’s a lot to expect.
Having a game like Ball State, or like Texas had with Texas State, has the advantages of a scrimmage, but it’s high-priced and it counts. If the Buckeyes had instead played at least a mid-level ACC team, the price and time invested would feel more justified.
The atmosphere in Columbus for the season opener against Texas was as electric as it gets for a noon kickoff. A night game in Austin on Saturday ought to be just as fun.
Might as well be grateful for what we have because it’s unlikely we will get more. The Eastern and Central time zones will have all Saturday to look forward to the No. 1 Buckeyes and the No. 4 Longhorns at 7:30 p.m., Day and Sarkisian, and Sayin and Manning.
Day, at a place like Ohio State, can afford to take a longer view of the season and enjoy an early-season challenge. A loss this week doesn’t ruin the season like it used to in the pre-playoffs era, but what it does, win or lose, is inform you where you stand and give you an early taste of late-season, win-or-go-home atmospheres. And Day likes all of it.
“This is going to be an unbelievable atmosphere down there against a great opponent, everybody in the country will be watching, this is why you come to Ohio State, this is why you go to Texas,” Day said. “It’ll give us a great data point on where we are and early feedback on things. But more importantly, just the experience of playing in a game like this early in the season is, again, one of the reasons why you recruit great players to come here.”
Day is 2-0 against Sark, but neither of those teams, plus the 2026 version, have much in common.
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The primary constants from last year to this year are Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin and Texas quarterback Arch Manning. Last year was the beginning of their careers as QB1. Now both are armed with a year full of experiences they have learned from.
“To where they are now, two totally different players in my opinion,” Day said. “You watched last year as Arch played he got better and better and better. He did some really good things in the first game of the year this past Saturday. He can beat you with his legs. He can beat you downfield. He can make the throws when he needs to.”
Julian Sayin won his first start last year when the Buckeyes opened with a win over Texas.
Ohio State’s passing game with Sayin, Jeremiah Smith, Devin McCuin, Brandon Inniss, et al, is prime-time proven. But the running game and Matt Patricia’s new defense have yet to prove themselves as prime-time players.
The Buckeyes ran the ball ineffectively in the first half against Ball State. But Bo Jackson and Ja’Kobi Jackson scored on long runs in the second half, energizing the offense. They still need to more consistently gain three, four and five yards on first and second downs.
“The second half is more what we expected from the jump, so we were a little frustrated early on,” Day said. “But then got some things organized and did a better job. So saw some things that we liked but also have things that we got to get fixed. And we know that’s going to be a huge part of this game.”
The defense also shut down Ball State on the ground. Day said he liked the way they ran to the ball. Then he said what he has said often in the past about the importance of run offense and run defense.
“We’ve got to be able to run the ball, stop the run, especially when you’re on the road,” he said. “This is our first opportunity to show we can go win a game like this on the road. And when we tell the story of the season, it’s going to be how we’re able to win these games. To do that, we all know we got to run the ball and stop the run.”
That’s the beauty of marquee matchups. Passing games can dazzle, especially against MAC teams, but the battle of wills in the run game, well, that’s what decides big games.
That’s big-boy football. That’s what we all want more of.
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