Texas plays host to Ohio State in a Saturday night clash that could have College Football Playoff implications beyond the two teams.
Conference supremacy will be on the line when the Big Ten’s No. 1-ranked Buckeyes kick off against the SEC’s No. 4-ranked Longhorns, which means transitive properties will come into play as the CFP Selection Committee ranks teams.
Ohio State won last season’s meeting, 14-7, in Columbus as both teams opened the season in a defensive battle.
Texas out-gained the Buckeyes 336-203 yards, but managed to get into the end zone just one time.
Ohio State scored twice, even as the Longhorns held All-American receiver Jeremiah Smith in check, as he finished with just 43 yards on six catches.
Smith is one of three players currently among the top 10 Heisman Trophy favorites — only the fourth game in the past 10 seasons where three or more players in the top 10 of the Heisman odds played a game in August or September.
That’s why this season’s meeting figures to feature more offense that last year’, as both teams returning their starting quarterbacks — Arch Manning and Julian Smith — who rank No. 2 and No. 3, respectively, in the Heisman Trophy odds behind current favorite Darian Mensah.
Sarkisian believes Manning and Sayin have come a long way since last year’s opening game at Ohio State.
“You see the level of confidence that both guys are playing with, (and) I think what you notice is the presence in the pocket … their confidence to use their legs,” Sarkisian said, per The Columbus Dispatch.
“Pretty drastic difference of the two players in the second time around going up against one another.”
Sarkisian said this week that Smith is “arguably the best player in college football,” after Smith opened this season with 151 yards receiving and two touchdowns in one half of play of the Buckeyes’ 56-3 opening game win over Ball State.
“The challenge is, with him, it’s the size, speed, catch radius … you can feel his presence on the field.”
It’s a safe bet former Georgia defensive coordinator Will Muschamp, hired by Texas as its defensive coordinator after last season, will have a plan in place for Jeremiah Smith and new Ohio State offensive coordinator and former Atlanta Falcons’ head coach (2021-2023) Arthur Smith.
The Buckeyes’ coaches have been busy prepping for his national showdown, too.
“We have different coordinators now, they have a new defensive coordinator (Muschamp),” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said, per Yahoo Sports. “When you look at the transfers that have come and gone on both teams, different personnel and some different schemes.”
Buckeyes’ second-year defensive coordinator Matt Patricia — like Arthur Smith a former NFL head coach — will be dialed in on incoming Texas transfer tailback Hollywood Smothers (from N.C. State) and incoming Texas transfer receiver Cam Coleman (from Auburn).
Smothers broke off a 45-yard run on first play of the season en route to a performance that featured 10 carries for 70 yards along with three catches for 28 yards and a touchdown.
Patricia, who served 15 season as an assistant coach on the New England Patriots and was the Detroit Lions head coach from 2018-2020, will also be taking note of where Coleman is lined up.
Coleman, who had 56 catches for 708 yards and 5 touchdowns at Auburn last season, was one of the most sought-after players in the most recent transfer portal and opened the season with three catches for 70 yards and 2 touchdowns in the Longhorns’ season-opening win.
Here’s a look at the betting lines for the games involving SEC teams this weekend, per VegasInsider.com lines:
Missouri -4.5 at Kansas, 8 p.m. FOX (Friday)
Pick: Missouri 27, Kansas 20
Texas -1.5 vs. Ohio State, 7:30 p.m. ABC
Pick: Texas 24, Ohio State 21
Oklahoma -4.5 at Michigan, Noon, FOX
Pick: Oklahoma 26, Michigan 20
Texas A&M -14.5 vs. Arizona State, Noon, ABC
Pick: Texas A&M 27, Arizona State 14
Georgia -40.5 vs. Western Kentucky, 12:45 p.m., SEC Network
Pick: Georgia 49, Western Kentucky 6
Mississippi State -1.5 at Minnesota, 3:30 p.m., CBS
Pick: Minnesota 23, Mississippi State 21
Alabama -10.5 at Kentucky, 7:45 p.m., SEC Network
Pick: Alabama 26, Kentucky 14
Vanderbilt -21.5 vs. Delaware, 4:15 p.m. SEC Network
Pick: Vanderbilt 34, Delaware 13
Florida -50.5 vs. Campbell, 5:30 p.m. SEC Network+ (stream)
Pick: Florida 56, Campbell 3
Tennessee -11.5 at Georgia Tech, 7 p.m., ESPN
Pick: Tennessee 27, Georgia Tech 16
South Carolina -42.5 vs. Towson, 7 p.m., SEC Network+ (stream)
Pick: South Carolina 55, Towson 7
LSU -36.5 vs. Louisiana Tech, 7:30 p.m., SEC Network+
Pick: LSU 47, Louisiana Tech 10
Auburn -31.5 vs. Southern Miss, 7:45 p.m., SEC Network
Pick: Auburn 42, Southern Miss 10
Ole Miss -43.5 vs. Charlotte, 7:45 p.m., ESPNU
Pick: Ole Miss 54, Charlotte 8
Arkansas +12.5 at Utah, 10:15 p.m., ESPN
Pick: Utah 24, Arkansas 17
