The Ohio State Buckeyes are coming off an incredible season, finishing the year as the national champions and the top team in college football. Heading into 2025, their status as the nation’s best will be instantly tested as they take on the Texas Longhorns, who are ranked No. 1 in the coaches’ poll.
Ohio State head coach Ryan Day recently explained how their preparations for 2025 differ from previous years as they prepare to face Texas.
Ryan Day Details Unique Preparation Approach for Ohio State’s Season Opener Against Texas
It’s not often that the No. 1 and No. 2 ranked teams face off in the regular season in a matchup often called the “Game of the Century.” While the AP poll isn’t out yet, Texas was ranked No. 1 and Ohio State No. 2 in the preseason coaches’ poll.
If they end up as AP No. 1 and No. 2, this game will have immense buzz, and it already does, as both the Longhorns and Buckeyes enter the 2025 season with high expectations. With these two juggernauts set to play each other in their season openers on August 30, there’s no doubt they’ve been preparing for this matchup throughout the spring and fall.
In a recent interview with the Big Ten Network, Day revealed how preparations for Week One and playing Texas differ from those in previous years.
“The workouts are different, the practices are different, you have to be so much ready for situations, you gotta tackle well, you gotta block well, you have to be clean in what you’re doing,” Day said.
Undoubtedly, the Buckeyes are preparing and practicing with a different intensity as they prepare to face the Longhorns. Steve Sarkisian has built Texas into a perennial national title contender, and this year is no different, with Texas boasting one of the best rosters in the sport.
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The Buckeyes have many new faces this season, as 14 members of their national championship roster, including Will Howard, the team’s starting quarterback, left for the NFL. According to ESPN, 46% of that championship production will return in 2025, which ranks 101st among FBS programs.
With so much roster turnover, if Day and Ohio State can beat Texas in Week One, it would send a message to the entire college football world that Ohio State is still one of the best teams in the country.
Day will have to prepare many young players to step into bigger roles with so many starters departing, and that preparation will be crucial not only for Ohio State’s success against the Longhorns but for the entire 2025 season.
This all-important matchup will kick off at noon ET on Saturday, August 30. According to most major sports books, Ohio State — the home team — is favored by between 2.5 and 3.5 points with an over/under set at 48.5.
