Ohio State is in rare territory as an underdog leading up to its Sept. 12 football game against Texas.
Despite the No. 1 ranking in the AP Poll and Coaches Poll
, the Buckeyes entered the week as a 1.5-point underdog to the Longhorns, a figure that dipped to 2 points on Sept. 8 according to BetMGM's rankings. The last time Ohio State was an underdog was the Buckeyes' 2023 matchup against Michigan. Ohio State entered as 3.5-point underdogs and lost to Michigan 30-24.Ohio State has played in three other games this decade as underdogs, all of which came in the College Football Playoffs. The Buckeyes opened as 6.5-point underdogs in the 2022 CFP semifinal against Georgia and lost 42-41.
Ohio State was an underdog twice in its 2019-2020 CFP run: once
against Clemson in the semifinal (Clemson was a seven-point favorite in Ohio State's 49-28 win) and against Alabama in the national championship game, which Ohio State lost 52-24 as 9.5-point underdogs.
Though Texas opened last season as the No. 1 team in the AP Poll, the Longhorns were 2.5-point underdogs to Ohio State in the 2025 season opener. Texas became the first team ranked No. 1 in the preseason poll to play its first game of the season as an underdog since at least 1978, according to ESPN research.
What is the moneyline for the Ohio State-Texas game?
Texas has -120 odds to beat Ohio State on Sept. 12. The Buckeyes are underdogs at +100, according to BetMGM on Sept. 8.
What is the point spread for the Ohio State-Texas game?
Texas is a two-point favorite against Ohio State, per BetMGM.
What is the over/under for the Ohio State-Texas game?
The over-under for total points in the Ohio State-Texas game is set at 48.5.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State football is an underdog to Texas in Week 2 game. See odds
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