Texas faces Ohio State in major early football game

• The Longhorns enter the matchup as the preseason top-ranked team, led by Heisman favorite Arch Manning. Ohio State, the defending national champion, is ranked third, behind Penn State.

Stunning stat: Texas hasn't lost a true road game since 2022, winning 11 consecutive games in its opponents' stadiums, including victories in storied lairs like Michigan Stadium, Texas A&M's Kyle Field and Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

What they're saying: "We've been in tough venues, and it's important that we stay connected," Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said at a press conference this week.

• "We need to be enamored with what we need to do and not get caught up in what's going on around us."

The intrigue: While Manning has two starts under his belt, Ohio State starting quarterback Julian Sayin has zero — and has thrown just 12 passes in his college career.

• The consensus No. 1 quarterback in the country when he graduated from high school in California, Sayin is a transfer from Alabama.

Texas' keys to victories: On defense, the Longhorns aim to hold star Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith to the sort of stat line he had in their January matchup — just one catch for three yards.

• "I'm definitely hyped about this one, especially how things went last year, things people were saying about me about that game I had last year," Smith said earlier this month. "I'm definitely hungry for this one for sure."
• On offense, UT wants to keep Manning protected — and hope he's the super-talented quarterback everyone is expecting him to be.

The bottom line: If Smith goes off, watch out. Ohio State is favored by 1.5 points.

📺 How to watch: The game (controversially) kicks off in Columbus at 11am on Fox.

• Resale tickets start at close to $300.