Texas Longhorns

Picks

Steve Sarkisian has signed four consecutive top-5 High School recruiting classes and has arguably the most talented roster in the country, making the Longhorns an appealing short underdog.

Both teams are breaking in new starting quarterbacks and feature elite defenses, meaning points will be at a premium.

Ohio State built its 2024 championship roster by retaining talent. Players who could have been third- or fourth-round NFL draft picks instead stayed in Columbus. However, that bill comes due quickly, as those players are now indeed in the NFL. The Buckeyes need to replace their entire backfield, an All-American left tackle and their top four defensive linemen, along with four more defensive starters. Ohio State has the talent to fill those spots, but in Week 1 against a fellow national title contender with more established pieces, the Buckeyes may be in a tough spot to start the season. The hype will be centred around Archie Manning, but Texas could dictate the outcome of this game with its backfield, a page out of Ohio State's 2024 playbook.

Both teams have some question marks under center. I just like Texas's questions a little better. The Arch Manning Era begins, and while we didn't see him play against much top competition last season, at the very least, we know he's a tremendous athlete. Meanwhile, redshirt freshman Justin Sayin won the starting job at Ohio State. But the biggest factor here is that I believe the Texas defensive line will do a better job when it comes to pressuring the young opposing QB. So give me the Longhorns to win this epic opener.