Being the Buckeye beat’s black sheep blog, we here at Land-Grant Holy Land like to pat ourselves on the back. So, throughout the season, members of our staff will be making predictions about that day’s game. They will go on the record with what they think the final score will be, who the game’s MVP will be, and what the major storyline will be coming out of the day.
After seven months of wall-to-wall championship celebrations, we are finally back to actual, real-life football. Today, at 12 noon ET,
the No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes will face off with the No. 1 Texas Longhorns at Ohio Stadium. The game is expected to be a close one, but (unsurprisingly) our team is almost uniformly going with the home team.
Check out what our staff members think and then let us know your thoughts on the game in the comments below. As we move forward with the season, you will be able to keep up with just how well our prognosticators do on a weekly basis HERE.
And if you think that you can best our team in making predictions, put your money where your mouth is over at the FanDuel SportsBook. As of the writing of this article, OSU is favored by 1.5 points; all but one of our experts is picking them to cover. What do you think?
Michael Citro
Score Prediction: Texas 31, Ohio State 30
Game MVP: Jeremiah Smith will have two touchdowns.
Major Storyline: Two teams that are still great despite a lot of turnover.
Alex Frank
Score Prediction: Ohio State 31, Texas 21
Game MVP: James Peoples will have 17 carries for 83 yards and two touchdowns, and three receptions for 21 yards
Major Storyline: Ohio State has a new running back duo that will be really good this season.
Joey Gertz
Score Prediction: Ohio State 24, Texas 17
Game MVP: Beau Atkinson will have 1.5 sacks, including a forced fumble.
Major Storyline: Arch’s first real test was too much for him. The Arch hype train slows down for a bit.
Justin Golba
Score Prediction: Ohio State 27, Texas 17
Game MVP: James Peoples will have 22 carries for 110 yards and two touchdowns.
Major Storyline: Both defenses are the story as the offenses struggle to move the ball, especially early in the game.
Dan Hessler
Score Prediction: Ohio State 27, Texas 24
Game MVP: Jeremiah Smith with 7 catches, 135 yards, and 2TDs.
Major Storyline: Julian Sayin plays every bit as well as well as Arch Manning.
Caleb Houser
Score Prediction: Ohio State 24, Texas 17
Game MVP: Jeremiah Smith will have two touchdowns
Major Storyline: Julian Sayin kept a clean stat sheet, throwing for two TDs and no INTs.
Jami Jurich
Score Prediction: Ohio State 24, Texas 22
Game MVP: Caleb Downs will be the MVP. Arch Manning’s inexperience at quarterback will allow Downs to exploit his errors to OSU’s benefit.
Major Storyline: Caleb Downs will take advantage of a mistake from Arch Manning to force a game-changing turnover and secure the win for the home team.
Connor Lemons
Score Prediction: Ohio State 28, Texas 24
Game MVP: CJ Donaldson will have multiple rushing touchdowns in his Ohio State debut.
Major Storyline: Ohio State once again has a dynamic 1-2 punch at running back.
Brett Ludwiczak
Score Prediction: Ohio State 24, Texas 17
Game MVP: Jeremiah Smith; after being shut down in the Cotton Bowl, Smith kicks off his sophomore season with the game-winning touchdown.
Major Storyline: While the victory wasn’t the cleanest performance, the Buckeyes show they are a real threat to go back-to-back in their first game after seeing 14 players drafted in April’s NFL Draft.
Gene Ross
Score Prediction: Ohio State 27, Texas 17
Game MVP: Carnell Tate will have catches, 121 yards, and 1 TD
Major Storyline: Both teams look sloppy on offense as the two quarterbacks adjust to their new roles. Texas brackets Jeremiah Smith again, opening things up for Tate and Klare.
Matt Tamanini
Score Prediction: Ohio State 31, Texas 20
Game MVP: The collective Ohio State defensive line.
Major Storyline: Julian Sayin will not be perfect in his first career start, but the Buckeye defensive line will make life a living hell for Arch Manning who does not look ready to pick up his family mantle.
Cole VanWiechen
Score Prediction: Ohio State 31, Texas 21
Game MVP: Jeremiah Smith will have 150 yards and two TDs
Major Storyline: Julian Sayin and Jeremiah Smith are the best connection in College Football.
Ryan Weckstein
Score Prediction: Ohio State 34, Texas 21
Game MVP: Max Klare 6 catches, 85 yards, 2 TDs
Major Storyline: Julian Sayin is having a C.J. Stroud-type start to his career.
