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The spotlight doesn't get much brighter as Steve Sarkisian's No. 1 Texas Longhorns visit Ryan Day's No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes in a must-see 2025 Week 1 college football battle. Saturday's marquee matchup is a rematch of last season's College Football Playoff semifinal game, which the Buckeyes won 28-14 en route to a national championship. These teams have each won two games apiece over their last four meetings going back to the 2005 season.

Kickoff from Ohio Stadium in Columbus is set for noon ET. The Buckeyes are 1.5-point favorites in the latest Texas vs. Ohio State odds from SportsLine consensus, while the over-under for total points scored is set at 47.5. Before making any Ohio State vs. Texas picks, make sure you check out the picks from the SportsLine projection model. New users at bet365 can get $200 in bonus bets instantly with the latest bet365 bonus code for Saturday's game:

The model simulates every FBS game 10,000 times. Since its inception, it has generated a betting profit of well over $2,000 for $100 players on its top-rated college spread football picks, and was a profitable 27-16 combined on money-line and over/under college football picks in 2024. Anybody following its college football betting picks at sportsbooks and on betting sites could have seen strong returns.  

Here are SportsLine model's best bets for Texas vs. Ohio State on Saturday:

  • Texas +1.5
  • Under 47.5

Texas +1.5

The Longhorns have returning talent on defense and will have Arch Manning established as the full-time starter under center. The Buckeyes, meanwhile, lost 14 players to the NFL Draft and will be leaning on sophomore Julian Sayin as their starting QB. Ohio State is also working with both a new offensive coordinator and defensive coordinator, so there could be some growing pains. These are main reasons why the model is projecting the Longhorns cover in 50% of simulations.

Under 47.5

Texas scores went under in three straight games to end the regular season in 2024, while Ohio State went under in in five of their last six. Plus, the Under has hit in three straight head-to-heads between these teams. With an inexperienced quarterback in Sayin going up against an experienced Texas defense, it could take some time for Ohio State to march the ball downfield. The model has these teams combining for 45 points, with the Under hitting in 57% of simulations.  

Want more college football picks for Week 1?

You've seen the model's top Ohio State vs. Texas picks for Week 1. Now, get against the spread, total and money-line picks for every Week 1 CFB game here, all from the model that's simulated every game 10,000 times. 

Want more from SportsLine? See the top Week 1 college football picks from college football expert Bruce Marshall, who is on a 56-34-3 roll (+1833) on his last 93 CFB ATS picks.