Ohio State opening national title defense against Texas highlights first week of Big Ten season

By Canadian Press on August 28, 2025.

Things to watch this week in the Big Ten:

Game of the week

No. 1 Texas at No. 3 Ohio State, Saturday, noon ET (Fox)

Ohio State begins its national title defense with a rematch of its 28-14 Cotton Bowl semifinal victory over Texas. The last time Texas visited Columbus, the Longhorns defeated the Buckeyes 25-22 in their 2005 championship season.

This game marks the third career start for Texas quarterback Arch Manning, who backed up Quinn Ewers last season. It’s the first start for Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin, who won a preseason competition with Lincoln Keinholz.

BetMGM has Ohio State as a 2 1/2-point favorite.

The undercard

Utah at UCLA, Saturday, 11 p.m. ET (Fox)

These former Pac-12 rivals tangle in a nonconference game with UCLA now in the Big Ten and Utah in the Big 12. This game marks the UCLA debut for quarterback Nico Iamaleava, who transferred after helping Tennessee earn a College Football Playoff berth last season.

BetMGM has Utah as a 6 1/2-point favorite.

Impact players

Penn State RB Nicholas Singleton: He teams up with Kaytron Allen to give No. 2 Penn State a pair of returning 1,000-yard rushers. Singleton is one of three Penn State players on the preseason Associated Press All-America team along with OG Olaivavega Ioane and DT Zane Durant.

Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith: He capped his fabulous freshman season with a 56-yard catch on third-and-11 that essentially clinched the Buckeyes’ CFP championship game victory over Notre Dame. Smith starts his sophomore season by facing a Texas team that limited him to one catch for 3 yards in a Cotton Bowl semifinal.

Oregon S Dillon Thieneman: After earning AP All-America third-team honors as a freshman at Purdue in 2023, Thieneman collected 104 tackles last season to lead all Big Ten defensive backs. Thieneman will make his Oregon debut Saturday when the seventh-ranked Ducks host Montana State.

Inside the numbers

The Big Ten has six teams in the AP Top 25: No. 2 Penn State, No. 3 Ohio State, No. 7 Oregon, No. 12 Illinois, No. 14 Michigan and No. 20 Indiana. … This is Illinois’ highest preseason ranking since 1990, when the Illini started out at No. 11. The Illini went 8-4 and finished that season at No. 25. … The Big Ten has each of the last two national champions in Michigan (2023) and Ohio State (2024). It’s the first time the Big Ten has won back-to-back national titles since winning three in a row from 1940-42 with Minnesota (1940-41) and Ohio State (1942). … The Big Ten has three of the five active Football Bowl Subdivision coaches with the highest career winning percentages. Ohio State’s Ryan Day (.870) is first, Oregon’s Dan Lanning (.854) is second and Indiana’s Curt Cignetti (.812) is fifth. … Illinois and Indiana each have 29 players in their final year of eligibility, tied for the fifth-highest total of any FBS team. Big 12 program Colorado ranks first with 38 players in their final year of eligibility.

Get to know him

Michigan QB Bryce Underwood makes his highly anticipated college debut Saturday when the 14th-ranked Wolverines host New Mexico. The freshman from Detroit starred at Belleville High School and was the nation’s top-rated prospect in his class.

Underwood might not be the only Big Ten freshman quarterback who starts immediately. Maryland hit midweek without announcing a starting quarterback for its Saturday opener with Florida Atlantic, but freshman Malik Washington is a strong candidate to get the job.

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Steve Megargee, The Associated Press