The last time Ohio State faced the Texas Longhorns, the story was all about Arch Manning’s debut. Julian Sayin got lost in between all the media hype. 2026 is a different story altogether. Sayin is no longer the untested freshman. This is a Heisman finalist returning back to prove that his postseason stumbles are behind him. The only problem is that this time, he will not be playing them at Columbus.

“We’re excited about that matchup,” Sayin said in the interview for the Manning Passing Academy on June 27, 2026, when asked how he feels about his upcoming matchup in Austin. “You know, it’s going to be warm. It’s going to be hostile, and it’s going to be a tough environment. It’s going to be loud. So, we’re excited.”

The last time these two heavyweights met was on August 30, 2025. It was billed as a monumental clash of titans, but it ultimately transformed into a grueling, old-school defensive slugfest. Carrying the weight of football royalty on his shoulders, Manning entered the stadium not only as the leader of the top-ranked Longhorns but also as the betting favorite to win the Heisman Trophy.

But from the opening kickoff, Ohio State’s defense completely suffocated the Longhorns’ top-rated offense. Manning looked visibly rattled early on by the hostile Columbus crowd and a relentless Buckeyes pass rush. For the first time in a decade, Texas was held scoreless through three consecutive quarters, leaving the powerhouse program entirely grounded. Manning threw an interception and struggled heavily with decision-making against the Buckeyes’ complex coverages by new DC Matt Patricia.

Sayin, on the other hand, managed the game with great poise, avoiding the big mistakes that plagued Manning, and delivering the decisive deep ball for a 40-yard touchdown to Carnell Tate to push the game out of reach.

Manning got better as the season progressed, but that loss to Ohio State kept them out of the playoffs. For the upcoming battle in September, the stakes are high. Manning is no longer the wide-eyed freshman rattled by a hostile crowd. He enters this game with a full year of starting experience under his belt, completely comfortable with the Longhorns’ playbook and playing in front of a friendly, raucous home stadium.

There is no doubt the energy at the Darrell K Royal-Texas will be on a different level when the two former rivals meet again. Texas fans don’t joke around when it comes to cheering, as the stadium entertains 101,000 passionate Texas fans. That could be an issue for the Buckeyes’ QB, but he clearly seems unfazed.

While the last game was governed by the trenches and defensive secondary play, the 2026 rematch spotlight is shifting heavily to the perimeter. Coach Sark is planning to counter the talent of Jeremiah Smith with an equally explosive stable of young, dynamic playmakers that include Ryan Wingo and Cam Coleman, setting up a track-meet that could quickly break the previous game’s low-scoring threshold.

The quarterbacks may not have discussed it at the Manning Passing Academy, but this showdown represents much more than Ohio State and Texas. It has quickly become the latest chapter in the growing battle between the Big Ten and the SEC, two conferences constantly competing for supremacy in the sport.

As per Sayin, it is a no-brainer that the Big Ten has leverage over the SEC. The Big Ten has won 3 national championships and has even produced stars like Aidan Hutchinson and Micah Parsons for the NFL. The programs are both gearing up for the showdown on  Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026, at 6:30, and the Texas team won’t shy away from showing the Buckeyes Southern hospitality.

How are the Texas Longhorns looking?

Steve Sarkisian won’t be coming unarmed to welcome the Buckeyes in Austin. The Longhorns have also put up a championship-favored roster. Following a 10–3 campaign in 2025, Texas is coming for redemption this season.

Along with Wingo and Coleman, the backfield has been upgraded as well. CJ Baxter will be running into the interion of the defensive line, backed up by transfer running backs Raleek Brown (Arizona State) and Hollywood Smothers (NC State). This also provides Manning with elite pass-catching options out of the backfield to nullify Ohio State’s aggressive blitz packages.

On defense, landing Pittsburgh transfer linebacker Rasheem Biles is arguably the biggest offseason coup for Texas. Biles is an explosive, sideline-to-sideline playmaker who racked up phenomenal numbers over the last two seasons (including 31 tackles for loss and three pick-sixes). He gives Texas the exact speed needed to contain any possible Julian Sayin scrambles and RPO threats.

Sarkisian intends to utilize his ‘stocked armory’ of new transfer weapons to speed up the tempo and stress an Ohio State defense that lost eight players to the NFL Draft. The weather would be easy to acclimatize due to the heat these two rivals will bring on the field.