There is going to be a new No. 1 team in the country. The top-ranked Longhorns took a trip to Columbus and, despite holding the defending National Champions to just 14 points and less than 250 yards, lost to the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Yes, there was an absurd amount of hype and pressure placed on the shoulders of a rebuilt Texas team. However, eking out 300 yards of offense and putting up just seven points isn't good enough.
"They're a good team, but we beat ourselves a lot," said Arch Manning, who was supposed to be one of the "most dynamic quarterbacks" we'd ever seen in college football.
Manning had just 170 passing yards for one touchdown and one interception. Not ideal for the prodigal son/grandson/nephew of four NCAA football legends. So, yes, the game was far from ideal and there are plenty of areas of concern, but it isn't time to jump ship quite yet.
Three positive takeaways from Texas's loss to Ohio State
1. The defense was DOMINANT
The Longhorns' defense held the Ohio State offense to 103 total yards, including a minimal 77 yards on the ground.
While Texas wasn't able to sack redshirt freshman quarterback Julian Sayin, the Horns did bring down a tackle for loss and earned two pass deflections. They also held Jeremiah Smith, who is arguably the best wide receiver in the country, to just 43 yards and zero touchdowns.
Texas combined for 63 total touchdowns, led by Liona Lefau and Michael Taaffe with nine apiece, followed by Malik Muhammad and Anthony Hill Jr. with six total tackles each.
2. Quintrevion Wisner hasn't slowed down
Last year, running back Quintrevion Wisner led the entire SEC in rushing last season, and on Saturday, he continued to find success on the ground despite C.J. Baxter, who was supposed to be RB1 for the Horns last season, returning.
Against the Buckeyes, Wisner earned 80 rushing yards to lead the entire running back room and five yards through the air.
Wisner was joined by Baxter, who had 40 rushing yards, and Manning, who had 38 yards on the ground, to bring Texas's rushing total to 166 yards (more than doubling that of Ohio State).
3. Arch Manning started to show his spark
No, Manning's game was far from perfect. Yes, there were a few underthrown balls and questionable decisions, including the pass attempt that led to the interception.
However, this was Manning's first game as a starter on the road, and it was against the defending National Championship team. Sure, there was an unprecedented amount of expectations set before Manning and his first year as the true starter of the Horns, but he still deserves an adjustment period.
The first three quarters were nightmare-esque, but once Manning started to find his footing, he got into a groove during the fourth quarter. He led Texas to 174 of its 316 total yards during the fourth quarter, including a touchdown pass to freshman wideout Parker Livingstone.
The game definitely showed the Horns' flaws. However, it also showed a lot of areas where Texas can improve and lean into as it grows throughout the season.
This is a rebuilt (or reloaded, depending on how you want to frame it) Longhorn squad, and there is room for improvement. There are just a few more games (at Georgia, at Florida, versus Texas A&M, and versus Oklahoma) that turned into question marks instead of definitive exclamation points.