Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day boiled the Buckeyes’ trip to Austin down to one non-negotiable Thursday.
“The No. 1 thing here in this game is we got to win the game, period… There’s so much involved with this game… but at the end of the day we got to get on that plane with a win,” Day said on his weekly radio show.
No. 1 Ohio State (1-0) visits No. 4 Texas (1-0) on Saturday night at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Kickoff is 7:30 p.m. Eastern on ABC.
ESPN’s College GameDay will broadcast live from the Texas campus, adding to the spotlight on a matchup between two of college football’s most recognizable programs.
The Buckeyes opened the season with a 56-3 home win over Ball State and piled up 671 yards of offense.
Quarterback Julian Sayin threw for 320 yards and accounted for four touchdowns. Wide receiver Jeremiah Smith caught eight passes for 151 yards and two scores.
Ohio State’s defense held the Cardinals to 165 total yards.
Texas answered in its opener with a 59-7 victory over Texas State.
Saturday’s game is the third straight season the teams have met. Ohio State won 14-7 in last year’s season opener in Columbus and 28-14 in the 2024 College Football Playoff Cotton Bowl.
Ohio State leads the all-time series 3-2. Every meeting between the programs has featured top-10 teams.
Ohio State received 46 of 69 first-place votes and 1,684 points in this week’s Associated Press poll. Texas earned two first-place votes and 1,462 points after climbing one spot.
Day has spent the week framing the game as the kind of test that defines the program. He has said players and coaches are measured by how they perform in environments like the one awaiting them in Austin.
The Buckeyes have worked with sports science staff on heat preparation and practiced communication for a loud road stadium. New offensive coordinator Arthur Smith and defensive coordinator Matt Patricia have spent the week building a plan against Steve Sarkisian’s Longhorns.
Sayin and Texas quarterback Arch Manning have both developed since they faced each other as first-year starters a year ago. Ohio State also has Texas-born players who will be returning to their home state.
A win would send the Buckeyes back to Columbus at 2-0 with an early road victory over a top-five opponent before Big Ten play begins.
