Texas vs. Ohio State prediction, odds, start time: 2025 Week 1 college football picks by expert on 64-43 run

The No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes will begin their request to repeat as national champions when they host the No. 1 Texas Longhorns on Saturday. This is just the second matchup in AP history pitting top-3 ranked teams against one another in a season opener. Ohio State defeated Texas, 28-14, in last season's CFP semifinals to even the all-time series between the programs 2-2. Texas now has a new starting quarterback in Arch Manning, who is the Heisman betting favorite but will be making his first career collegiate road start. 

Kickoff is at noon ET at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. The Buckeyes are 1.5-point favorites in the latest Texas vs. Ohio State odds, while the over-under for total points scored is 47.5. Before making any Ohio State vs. Texas picks, be sure to see what SportsLine expert Bruce Marshall has to say. New users can also target the DraftKings promo code, which offers $300 in bonus bets instantly plus over $200 off NFL Sunday Ticket:

For years Vegas-based Bruce Marshall was synonymous with The Gold Sheet, the famed sports betting newsletter. With a background in play-by-play work and sports information while in college, Bruce joined TGS in 1981 when hired by the legendary Mort Olshan and served as executive editor for many years. Marshall now supplies his unique and colorful brand of football and basketball analysis to SportsLine members. Marshall crushed his 2024 college football picks, going 64-43-3 and returning 16.24 units to $100 players, making him SportsLine's No. 1 expert. Anyone who followed could've seen big returns.

Now, Marshall has set his sights on Ohio State vs. Texas and just locked in his picks and college football betting predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see his picks. Here are several college football odds and betting lines for Texas vs. Ohio State:

Why Ohio State can cover

While Manning has won a pair of games for Texas as a starter, both came at home versus teams that went a combined 7-17 last season. Not only does the nephew of Eli and Peyton Manning have no road starts, but none of his 95 career pass attempts in college have come in away stadiums. He faces a monumental task in The Shoe versus a Buckeyes team that led FBS in scoring defense last season. Since Ryan Day took over as head coach in 2019, Ohio State is 37-3 straight-up in home games, which trails only Alabama (38) for the most home wins in college football.

Day knows how to get his team up for the biggest of games, as evident by the Buckeyes being 6-0 both outright and against the spread over their last six versus ranked opponents. That includes a 14-point win over Texas in last year's CFP, easily covering the 6-point spread. OSU hasn't just inched by these opponents either as it has five straight double-digit wins versus top-10 ranked teams, which is tied for the longest active streak over the last 30 years. See which team to back at SportsLine. 

Why Texas can cover

The Ohio State team that Texas fell to in the CFP isn't the same Buckeyes squad that will take the field on Saturday. OSU lost 14 players to the NFL Draft, the most of any program, including four first rounders. Ohio State's new quarterback, Julian Sayin, has thrown all of 12 pass attempts in college and will be making his first start against arguably what was the best pass defense in the land in 2024. The Longhorns led FBS by allowing just 5.7 yards per attempt, and they also led the nation with 22 defensive interceptions.

That defense showed its prowess in that CFP game as it held Buckeyes star wideout Jeremiah Smith to just one catch for three yards, compared to him averaging 126 receiving yards in OSU's other three CFP contests. Additionally, Texas has won 11 straight road games, which is the longest active FBS streak, and it also won in the program's only prior visit to Ohio Stadium (2005). History is also on the side of the top team in the land as each of the last three non-conference AP top-3 matchups went the way of the team ranked No. 1. See which team to back at SportsLine, and new users can also check out the latest bet365 bonus code to get $200 in bonus bets after placing a $5 bet:

How to make Texas vs. Ohio State picks

Marshall has analyzed Ohio State vs. Texas and is leaning Under on the total. He also says there's a critical x-factor that makes one side of the spread hit hard. Find out what it is at SportsLine, and use promo code CHAMPIONSHIP to get your first month at SportsLine for $1.

Who wins Texas vs. Ohio State, and what critical X-factor makes one side of the spread a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Ohio State vs. Texas spread to jump on, all from the expert who went 64-43-3 (+1624) on college football picks in 2024, and find out.