We're far away from the 2026 college football season — too far away if you ask me, but not far enough for FanDuel to release some preliminary odds for the big games scheduled for the first three weeks of the season. One of those games is the Longhorns' showdown with Ohio State on September 12 in Austin.
Currently, FanDuel has Texas as a 2.5-point favorite over the Buckeyes. That's a hair less than the natural three-point advantage that comes with home field, but it's hard to have any problem with the number because both teams are loaded and evenly matched.
FanDuel has some spreads up for college football already.
— Underwood Leashed (@Underwood_szn) January 29, 2026
Texas is a 2.5 point favorite over Ohio State 👀👀👀
Hoping soon they put up the Michigan vs Oklahoma line! pic.twitter.com/frK3po4O3S
FanDuel early odds give Texas the edge over Ohio State
There's a lot on the table for Texas in 2026. The roster is built for a championship and Steve Sarkisian is still adding pieces to it. Arch Manning is one of the Heisman favorites and the expectation is that this will be the season where he reminds the college football world why he was one of the more heralded quarterback prospects in college football history.
Manning began to flip the script in the final third of the 2025 season. He threw for over 300 yards twice in his final five games and had an 11-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Sarkisian also began to embrace Arch as a runner down the stretch, and it paid off big against Texas A&M and in the Citrus Bowl against Michigan.
The hope is that all of those tools will be on display on September 12 for the rematch with the Buckeyes. Last year, Ohio State and defensive coordinator Matt Patricia were able to take advantage of Manning's inexperience and lack of reps in big games to contain the offense, but with a full year of experience, it's going to be Arch's chance to show how he's grown and that all the Heisman hype is legitimate.
All we have to do now is wait until September 12 to see it.