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Eduardo Razo is a sports writer based in Los Angeles, California who covers college football along with the NFL, NBA, and MLB. He has worked as a freelance writer for The Sporting News and has previously covered teams for NBC Sports Washington and NBC Sports Bay Area & California. He also worked as an editor at Athlon Sports.
Eduardo Razo
Contributing Sports Writer
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Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
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Ohio State have a huge game to start the 2025 college football season with the University of Texas coming to Columbus. Nonetheless, could the Buckeyes experience a championship hangover that could affect their performance against the Longhorns?
Paul Finebaum joined “First Take” on Thursday to preview this heavyweight clash. Moreover, the ESPN analyst believes that this contest won’t be close, with Texas coming away with the victory.
Head coach Ryan Day of the Ohio State Buckeyes looks on before the game against the Oregon Ducks at Autzen Stadium on October 12, 2024 in Eugene, Oregon.
Head coach Ryan Day of the Ohio State Buckeyes looks on before the game against the Oregon Ducks at Autzen Stadium on October 12, 2024 in Eugene, Oregon.
Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images
“These two teams met in January in the Cotton Bowl, and Texas fell in that game, but the teams are different,” Finebaum said. “Quarterback’s different at Texas. The quarterback’s different at Ohio State.
“I don’t think Ohio State is what we saw last year winning the national championship. They’re good, but I don’t think they’re elite. …I don’t think this game is even going to be close. I think Texas’ roster is better, and I think Ohio State is going to be hungover from last year.”
On Monday, Ohio State named second-year player Julian Sayin as its starting quarterback for its season opener against No. 1 Texas at Ohio Stadium. Sayin edged out junior Lincoln Kienholz in the quarterback competition and now has the pressure of getting the Buckeyes off on the right foot to defend their title.
Read More: CJ Carr Gets Strong Warning After Winning Notre Dame QB Job
“You’re always looking for consistency and taking care of the football,” Day said. “When you start with practice 1 in the spring and do a study on the entire growth over six months, you can see there’s a lot of growth made.
“You look at the numbers and the production, we felt like [Sayin] was in a situation where he was ready to go play in this game. We also feel like Lincoln’s ready to play, but overall, Julian is more consistent.”
Read More: Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith Doesn’t Hold Back on Michigan
Texas will also be breaking in a new quarterback as Arch Manning takes over under center after Quinn Ewers departed for the NFL. It will be interesting to see which of Manning or Sayin takes that step in their development to win this big-time game.
For more on college football, head to Newsweek Sports.