Week 2 of the 2026 college football season includes one of the biggest matchups of the year, no matter the sport.
The Texas Longhorns are scheduled to host the Ohio State Buckeyes in a game that could not only determine which team sits atop the national rankings for the remainder of the season, but is also a chance at revenge for the Horns, who have lost to the Buckeyes twice in as many seasons.
However, despite that massive matchup looming just over the horizon, there's another game that Ohio State can't seem to stop thinking about.
In fact, it's The Game. Ohio State's rivalry matchup against the Michigan Wolverines is always a blockbuster hit. But it doesn't take place until the final week of the regular season, the same week Texas plays Texas A&M.
Everyone from head coach Ryan Day to quarterback Julian Sayin can't stop talking about the rivalry game, with Sayin going as far as to say that the matchup "becomes your livelihood."
"You learn very quickly when you get here. You learn the history of that game, you learn how important it is to this state and to this fanbase, and it becomes your livelihood," Sayin told On3's Andy Staples and Ari Wasserman.
Well, he may want to make his livelihood the first game or two of the season, instead of game No. 12 on the schedule.
Texas defeating Ohio State could flip the top-4 rankings upside down
Focusing on something too far ahead, with so many major hurdles along the way, the Buckeyes would be foolish to put all of their marbles into the Michigan game.
There's a reason there are sayings like "getting out over your skis," "jumping the gun," and "being in over your head," just to name a few. When you look too far into the future, you squander the opportunity right in front of you.
That much could easily be true for the Buckeyes as they prepare to head to Austin, but are still talking about their rivals.
In the Preseason Coaches Poll, the Buckeyes were ranked No. 1, followed by the Oregon Ducks and Georgia Bulldogs, but the Longhorns were ranked fourth, not far behind Ohio State. Those rankings could easily flip if Texas secures the victory in Week 2.
Read more: Texas vs. Ohio State made even more important with the Preseason Coaches Poll out
Of course, Buckeye fans would probably argue that the players and coaches can have both games on their minds, but hardly any of them are talking about Texas. It's as if it's a cupcake matchup for Ohio State, when it very much is not.
Ultimately, the Ohio State-Texas game is over a month away, with kickoff scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT on Saturday, Sept. 12, and both teams have a game in Week 1 to get through first. However, before the Buckeyes... jump the gun... they might want to start talking about the Longhorns.
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