All this hype leading into this game was around Arch Manning and the Texas Longhorns, but the defending national champions had something to say about that when it was all said and done.

No. 3 Ohio State took down No. 1 Texas 14-7 in a defensive slugfest at the Horseshoe on a gorgeous day on Saturday. This game had it all: a hyped-up quarterback debut, a suffocating Buckeye defense, and a send-off for an ESPN legend. It also had some obnoxious predictions from SEC homers like Paul Finebaum, who made the ridiculous statement that “the game wouldn’t be close” as he predicted a Texas win.

Now this wasn’t just any season opener—it was a rematch of last year’s College Football Playoff semifinal, where Ohio State beat Texas 28-14 in the Cotton Bowl. Texas came into Columbus as the AP preseason No. 1, with all eyes on redshirt sophomore Arch Manning, making his first start as the Longhorns’ QB1. The hype around Manning was unreal—Heisman buzz, Warby Parker commercials, you name it. Meanwhile, Ohio State, fresh off a national title, rolled in with new quarterback Julian Sayin and a defense ready to prove it’s still the best in the country.

But strangely, the Buckeyes weren’t getting nearly enough respect. We heard so much about the talent lost through last year’s NFL draft, but Texas was replacing starters as well. Also, if you were paying attention, you’d know that the Buckeyes were loaded with young talent on defense. Also, many of these players got playing time last year, so they were more than ready to step in.

Spoiler alert: the Buckeyes’ defense stole the show, and this game became a statement for the ages.

That had a lot to do with new defensive coordinator Matt Patricia. Critics of Ohio State pointed to the fact that they were replacing both coordinators, but Patricia proved his value as his defensive schemes confused Arch Manning all afternoon.

Let’s talk about how this game unfolded. The first quarter was a defensive chess match—neither team scored, but Ohio State’s defense set the tone early. Texas elected to receive after Ohio State deferred, but the Longhorns’ offense, led by Manning, couldn’t get much going. A key moment came when the Buckeyes stuffed Texas on a fourth-and-short at their own 42, giving Ohio State’s offense early momentum. Julian Sayin, in his first collegiate start, was steady but not flashy, managing the game while the defense did the heavy lifting.

Manning looked off from the beginning, which probably had a lot to do with the defense. But he also had real trouble with accuracy. It will be fascinating to see if this problem persists as the season progresses.

In the second quarter, Ohio State broke through. After a Texas facemask penalty and a holding call gave the Buckeyes great field position, running back CJ Donaldson punched in a 1-yard touchdown on fourth-and-short, capping an 80-yard, 15-play drive that ate up 8 minutes. The score put Ohio State up 7-0, and Texas couldn’t answer. With five minutes left in the half, linebacker Arvell Reese sacked Manning, forcing a punt. Manning was just 4-of-8 for 20 yards at halftime, and the Longhorns had only 71 total yards. Ohio State’s defense, under new coordinator Patricia, was relentless, making life miserable for Texas’ vaunted offense.

Linebacker Arvell Reese is one of those players on the Buckeye defense who wasn’t technically a starter but got significant playing time last year. The kid is a beast and is super fast, and he has a ton of buzz with NFL scouts as the next dude from that Ohio State defense. But you wouldn’t know that if you just listen to high-profile commentators like Finebaum on ESPN.

The third quarter saw Texas fight back, but Ohio State’s defense kept slamming the door. Manning showed flashes, scrambling for a first down and leading a drive to the Buckeyes’ 1-yard line. But on a bold fourth-and-goal QB sneak, Caden Curry and Lorenzo Styles Jr. stuffed Manning cold, keeping Texas scoreless. Texas fans had to be going crazy, particularly given what happened in the playoff semifinal game last season at the goal line against the Buckeyes.

Later, cornerback Jermaine Mathews Jr. picked off Manning’s underthrown pass to Ryan Wingo, setting up Ohio State at their own 32. This was just a terrible throw by Manning, and you can’t blame the pass rush on this one. Critics will have a field day with Manning until he turns this around.

The Buckeyes capitalized in the fourth when Sayin, cool as ever, found Carnell Tate for a 40-yard touchdown pass, making it 14-0. Tate made an amazing catch, his two catches for 49 yards showed why he’s a rising star.

At this point in the game, Ryan Day went super conservative with the offense. They had a two-score lead and the defense was dominant, so he played the percentages here.

Texas finally got on the board with 3:28 left, as Manning connected with Parker Livingstone for a 32-yard touchdown pass after a quick 60-yard drive. Of course, the SEC official upheld the catch on replay.

But Ohio State’s defense wasn’t done. On Texas’ final drive, facing fourth-and-5 from the 50, Manning’s pass to Jack Endries fell 2 yards short. The Buckeyes ran out the clock, securing the 14-7 upset. Manning finished 17-of-30 for 170 yards, one touchdown, and one interception—a rough debut against a defense that held Texas to 1-of-5 on fourth downs.

Let’s give credit where it’s due. Ohio State’s defense was the MVP, led by safety Caleb Downs and linebacker Sonny Styles. Downs, called the best player in college football by some, was everywhere, and the secondary made Manning work for every yard. Davison Igbinosun’s 10 tackles and pass breakup were huge, and Matt Patricia’s game plan was a masterclass—holding Texas to just 7 points, their lowest since 2021. On offense, Julian Sayin went 13-of-20 for 126 yards and a touchdown, while CJ Donaldson ran for 67 yards on 19 carries.

For Texas, Manning’s struggles sparked some heat on social media, with fans and commentators like Paul Finebaum pointing out his accuracy issues. Coach Steve Sarkisian took the loss in stride, praising Ohio State’s secondary but lamenting those failed fourth-down calls.

This game was a tone-setter. For Ohio State, it’s proof they’re still a juggernaut, improving to 4-3 all-time against No. 1 teams at home. Ryan Day’s 17-1 record in regular-season non-conference games is no fluke, and this defense looks ready to carry them back to the College Football Playoff. For Texas, the loss stings—Heather Dinich noted it could haunt them on Selection Day, with tough games against Georgia and Oklahoma looming. But while Manning’s late touchdown drive showed some potential; he’ll need to grow fast in the SEC.

In the end, Ohio State delivered a statement win—knocking off the Longhorns in a defensive slugfest that reminded everyone why the Buckeyes are perennial contenders.

Here are a couple of final thoughts after this game:

First, Arch Manning obviously had a tough day. He looked nothing like the all-world player the hype suggested. But it’s one game. Sure, there are some serious issues like field vision and accuracy, but he was playing against possibly the most talented defense in the country, and schemes from a Super Bowl winning defensive coordinator that he’s never seen before. He was also on the road against the defending National Champs. It’s way to early to make any definitive judgement about Manning.

That said, it was striking how much better Julian Sayin looked. The Buckeye quarterback was also a 5-star recruit and we saw why yesterday. The kid has a quick release and he’s super accurate. Also, he didn’t make any big mistakes. Ryan Day acknowledged that the Buckeyes called a very conservative game plan given that this was Julian Sayin’s first start at quarterback, but they will be unleashing this kid as the season progresses. If he can build on the traits we saw yesterday, this Buckey team could be scary.

Finally, the leadup to this game is another great example of how we should separate the pure entertainers like Paul Finebaum with analysts who actually know what they’re talking about. Finebaum is a great personality for college football, but you probably should ignore his hype when you’re thinking about placing any bets on college football.

Finebaum is an SEC homer, so he glossed over any challenges Texas might have, and he completely missed the boat on the young talent waiting for their shot at Ohio State. That said, at least he has a sense of humor about days like this when he’s wrong about so many things. But that does add to the fun! What a way to kick off 2025! Ohio State’s defense sent a message, and Texas has some soul-searching to do.

It’s amazing how crazy come people get when it comes to sports commentary. We expect that from fans of course, so apps like X are loaded with idiots spouting crazy theories. It’s often just as bad on sports talk radio, where we basically have morons talking to morons.

But it’s gotten so bad that this lunacy is permeating many national media outlets. ESPN in particular is loaded with “personalities” trying to get people riled up over a sports take.

The latest lunacy involves Shedeur Sanders and all the fools saying the Browns are setting him up to fail. Colin nails it in the video above.

It took a few days to sort this out, but as many expected, Bill Belichick is parting ways with New England Patriots. This ends one of the greatest dynasties in sports history, let alone NFL history.

Belichick won six Super Bowls as the head coach of the Patriots. As the league evolved, Belick evolved with it and kept on winning.

Of course, he had Tom Brady for those six Super Bowls, and Brady went on to win his seventh after leaving New England. In this video clip, sportswriter Charles Pierce addresses the Belichick vs Brady question in terms of who deserves more credit, which in some ways is a silly question. Both were critical. Brady probably never has his career without Belichick believing in him and keeping him in the starting lineup over Drew Bledsoe. Meanwhile, Brady’s amazing talent and focus helped Belichick with his blind spots.

You can weigh in here on your thoughts on the Belichick/Brady question.

The hype around the New York Jets has been pretty intense, while Aaron Rodgers basked in all of the attention. After flaking out the past several years in Green Bay, Rodgers was trying to convey he impression that he was serious again about football. The question of his attitude and commitment was one of the biggest question marks around the 2023 season, along with the obvious issues around his age. We had just seen Tom Brady pull this off, but many of us were skeptical that Rodgers could come close to matching Brady’s maniacal work ethic.

The scene was set for the September 11th debut of Rodgers and the Jets last night on Monday Night Football. Rodgers ran into the stadium carrying the American flag in front of a delirious crowd.

Then, after a handful of plays, all the noise and enthusiasm was sucked out of the stadium. Rodgers was sacked and his ankle appeared to be twisted. He went down after trying to stand up and then left the game for good. Everyone is speculating on the severity of the injury, but it doesn’t look good at the moment.

For the Jets, a season-ending injury destroys their title hopes. The defense in New York is excellent, and they had put some great weapons around Rodgers. As you might expect, social media was filled with angry reactions from Jets fans.

Shockingly, the Jets managed to win the game in wild fashion due to their defense and some big plays. Josh Allen was terrible for the Bills, raising questions about whether he’s regressing. He had an embarrassing fumble and was intercepted three times by safety Jordan Whitehead. Garrett Wilson made a ridiculous catch in the end zone on the throw from Zach Wilson that should have been picked off. And Breece Hall was spectacular with 10 carries for 127 yards.

Other AFC contenders had to be happy with this result. The Jets are screwed if Rodgers is out for an extended period of time, yet they managed to drop a loss on the Bills.

It’s funny how conventional wisdom in sports gets influenced by the media hype machine. Networks like ESPN jump on storylines, and conventional wisdom builds around their narratives.

In recent years, the Browns got a ton of buzz when Baker Mayfield was driving all of the attention. This season, in the aftermath of last season’s drama with Deshaun Watson, the Browns were flying under the radar despite loading up the roster in the offseason.

Meanwhile, if you were watching the betting lines leading up to this game, you’ve would have noticed that the sharps were all over the Cleveland Browns for this game. There were some good reasons behind this dynamic. The Browns had some serious issues on defense last season despite some very talented players. The Browns front office made a concerted effort in the offseason to fix the situation. Andrew Berry started this transformation by replacing defensive coordinator Joe Woods with Jim Schwartz, which was a massive upgrade. He then completely rebuilt the defensive line in an attempt to fix two glaring problems – the lack of defensive tackles who could stop the run, plus adding pass rushers to compliment Myles Garrett. Notable additions included free agents Ogbo Okoronkwo, Dalvin Tomlinson, Za’Darius Smith and Shelby Harris. On paper, this defense looked formidable, but we also had to see it on the field.

Meanwhile, Joe Borrow was getting over a calf injury that had prevented him from practicing most of the preseason.

Hence, the sharps were jumping on this game.

Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals saw the new and improved Browns defense on Sunday. The defense simply dominated the Bengals and Burrow from the first snap. The defensive line harassed Burrow the entire game while the secondary clamped down on the Bengals receivers, including Ja’Marr Chase who shot his mouth off before the game about the Browns and the city of Cleveland.

The Browns handily won the game, 24-3, and staked their claim as a team to be reckoned with this season.