The start of the new college football season is almost upon us and we’re set for a huge clash between the Ohio State Buckeyes and Texas Longhorns to open the 2025 season on August 30th at Ohio Stadium.
The Longhorns are the number one-ranked team but will come into this game as the underdogs, as they come up against the defending champions in their opening game of the season, in what will be a historic occasion.
We’ll take a look at the game and break it down while providing you with our best free NCAAF betting picks, as we try to earn you some extra cash while you enjoy the action on the field.
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After becoming the first team to win the national championship despite suffering two regular season defeats, the Buckeyes come into this season with the number two ranked coaches and number three ranked AP.
Ohio State lost 14 players to the NFL during the off-season, including star man Emeka Egbuka, who was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But they have reacted well by bringing in ten new players to regenerate the team.
But the old guard are still strong, and the likes of Jeremiah Smith can now step into an even more starring role which will help Ohio to try and repeat.
Head coach Ryan Day is entering his seventh season, and the Buckeyes have been fairly dominant outside of the conference during his tenure. They’ve also been dominant within the conference with only Clemson, Alabama, Oregon, Georgia and Missouri handing them defeats.
Many teams are anticipating a Buckeyes repeat this season, and Day will be hopeful of doing just that to earn a second national championship in his career.
Texas will come into the 2025 season as the number one team in college football according to the rankings, and will be looking to go one step further this time around after defeat in the national championship final in the 2024 campaign.
The Longhorns saw 17 players leave for the NFL this summer, with 12 of them being drafted, including Andrew Mukuba and Cameron Williams who went to Super Bowl champions Philadelphia Eagles. They have replaced well and brought in five-star recruits Jonah Williams, Justus Terry and Kaliq Lockett, among others.
It’s also the year where future NFL star Arch Manning will begin to forge a path for himself as a starting quarterback, and many are backing him to have a standout campaign and compete for the Heisman Trophy. Head coach Steve Sarkisian will enter his fifth season, which has seen improvement year-on-year.
In 2023 they won the conference title as part of the Big 12, before reaching the national championship final in 2024. Will 2025 be the year they finally go all the way?
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When the Texas Longhorns walk onto the field to face the Ohio State Buckeyes they will make history as the first number one-ranked team to be underdogs in their opening fixture.
That will be great motivation for the likes of Jeremiah Smith, who will have a point to prove as to why they are the top-ranked team, but they will be coming up against the team who beat them at their best and have done it all before, and will also have a point to prove after being ranked at number three.
Manning will be the better quarterback on the field, despite his lack of experience, with Julian Sayin expected to get the nod for Texas, and that’s immediately a good reason to take a look at this price. Manning comes from a legendary football family, but his own experience isn’t much better than his opposite number.
However, he did complete 61 of 90 passes for 939 yards, nine touchdowns, and two interceptions, 108 rushing yards and four touchdowns, drawing two starts in the 2024 season.
The Buckeyes also have the advantage in the offensive line, while defensively, they can turn all their attentions to stopping the new Sayin-Smith partnership from blossoming, and it will likely win them the game. While the Texas defense will have a chance to keep the Longhorns in this one, Sayin will have to show up with a fantastic performance to win them the game.
It’s likely to be a very close game, but the Buckeyes should be a bit more polished on the opening week of the season, and as defending champions, it’s hard to look past them at this price.
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About the Author
Daniel is a football writer who has a great thirst for the Premier League and other major European leagues. A lover of the beautiful game and a firm believer that the eye test is better than statistics. Also an avid MMA fan.
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