We're only a few days away from one of Texas' biggest games of the year, and it's time to start accumulating some score predictions for the matchup this weekend.
The Champaign Room
"This is probably the best matchup in Week 1 this season. Or maybe ever. OSU with a freshman QB doesn’t strike me as ready for the moment. "
Score prediction: Texas 30, Ohio State 20
College Football News
"The CFP might have just announced that it will care about strength of schedule metrics now. Not to ruin Christmas for you all, but it already did. It's a wee bit of a stretch to say the loser of this is in trouble, but if Texas still has a trip to Georgia, a nasty date with Oklahoma, and the rest of the SEC schedule to go. Ohio State has to play Penn State, has a few Big Ten landmines, and then it goes up the road to play That Team Up North. So in case you didn't notice, this is big. Manning will look the part, but Sayin will be the real find. He won't be asked to do as much as Manning will, but he'll be just effective enough to let the rest of the parts shine. This won't be smooth, but the fourth quarter will be everything you've been waiting all season for."
Score prediction: Ohio State 26, Texas 23
Austin American-Statesman
"A meeting between the No. 1 (Texas) and No. 3 (Ohio State) teams in the nation is also a rematch of last season’s CFP semifinal, which the Buckeyes won 28-14 on their way to a national title. This is a chance to make an early case to the playoff committee. The spotlight doesn’t get much brighter for a season opener."
Score prediction: Texas 21, Ohio State 20
Bookies.com
"Dave Portnoy's first Big Noon Kickoff opens with a battle of 2 teams favored to win the national championship playing in rematch of the CFB semifinal. Texas visits the Horseshoe looking avenge its loss in the Cotton Bowl. This time Arch Manning leads the Longhorns’ offense from the opening snap. He’ll have to meet those lofty hopes to carry the Longhorns to the Natty. Thankfully, Texas’ defense should be able to pick up the slack when necessary. For Ryan Day and Ohio State, only a national championship could remedy their embarrassment suffered against Michigan last season. The Bucks lost 14 players to the NFL draft, including their QB and the core of their offensive and defensive lines. This is the way you want to start a rebuild. Sark & Arch win it outright."
Score prediction: N/A, Texas wins outright
Sports Illustrated
"Ohio State has to deal with the more difficult turnover from last year's National Championship team to this year's version of the squad. It wasn't just talent that the Buckeyes lost, but also leadership in key roles.
Meanwhile, Texas seems poised to establish itself as the top team in the nation with Manning now set as its permanent starter. A lot of people felt the Longhorns would've been better off last season if he were the full-time starter over Quinn Ewers, so confidence has to be at an all-time high for one of the deepest teams in the country.
Last year's Cotton Bowl victory is weighing heavily on this spread. If those two teams hadn't met in the playoffs and had been on opposite sides of the bracket, I think this game would be much closer to a pick'em, so I'll back the Longhorns getting 2.5 points."
Score prediction: Texas +2.5 to either win outright, or to keep it extremely close.