Why Texas football is a serious National Championship contender after huge win over Ohio State

The Texas Longhorns exorcised the demons of 2024 and 2025 in a 24-23 comeback win against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Darrell K Royal Stadium in Austin, Texas, putting the college football world on notice as they sent Ryan Day’s team home with an unexpected last-second loss. The comeback from down 23-3 was led by quarterback Arch Manning and Daylan ‘Hollywood’ Smothers and could push the ‘Horns to No. 1 in the AP Top 25 Poll.

The Longhorns made Ohio sports star Donovan Mitchell eat his words as they found a rhythm on offense behind Manning, Smothers and Ryan Wingo, taking advantage of Ohio State’s revamped defense en route to a statement win.

Texas entered the weekend No. 4 in the AP Top 25 Poll, three spots behind the Buckeyes, and could find themselves in the pole position by the time the dust settles on a crazy college football weekend that included upsets of fellow top contenders Oregon and Oklahoma.

The Longhorns are now an undeniably serious national championship contender, which should make for a fun season in Austin and the SEC.

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Arch Manning showed uncanny resolve vs. Ohio State

Manning is now a veteran of more big games than just about any quarterback in college football, and it showed against Julian Sayin and the Buckeyes. The Longhorns looked dead and buried before Manning began to engineer balanced scoring drives in front of a celebrity-studded crowd that included Houston Rockets star Kevin Durant.

Manning rushed eight times for 24 yards on the night, less than his usual totals, but the Longhorns were able to consistently put the ball in the end zone thanks to the heroics of Manning’s supporting cast. Smothers reeled off two touchdown runs while Wingo caught a three-yard scoring pass that inspired the entire Texas team and brought the crowd to its feet early in the fourth quarter.

Ryan Wingo vs Devin Sanchez pic.twitter.com/WnGtGiLMt5

— Grant Reacts (@GrantReacts1) September 13, 2026

Manning didn’t panic after a tough-luck bobbled pass that led to an Ohio State interception in the first half and kept plugging away. The result was a statement win for a Texas football program that now has a chance to uplift its at-times maligned head coach, Steve Sarkisian, the rest of the way and make a run at its first national title since 2005.

Texas learned lessons it will use in the rugged SEC

The Longhorns’ SEC schedule will place them in hostile environments against tough teams, including in Knoxville, Tennessee, on September 26 against the Volunteers and Norman, Oklahoma, on October 10 against the Sooners.

With a win over a stacked Ohio State football team under its belt, coach Sarkisian’s team knows it has the talent to play with and beat any team in the country, regardless of location. After numerous preseasons and exciting College Football Playoff runs in recent years, there is a feeling surrounding Texas that they control their own fate.

Beating Ohio State proves that the deficit, game situation, and overall talent of the opponent don’t matter as much as how well Manning and his talented teammates play within themselves and execute the game plan to the best of their abilities.

Smothers in particular looks like a revelation as arguably the team’s most clutch running back in years. Manning still has another gear or two to add to his game as he continues to learn his new teammates’ tendencies. With a likely No. 1 ranking on the horizon and tough-yet-winnable games coming up soon, the time to buy stock in Manning and the Longhorns is now.

Sarkisian’s current team might not have as much overall talent across the board as some others in recent memory, but they are now as battle-tested and tough-minded as they come. A deep run into the College Football Playoffs beckons, but Manning and the Longhorns must continue to take things one play and one game at a time as they get used to having an even bigger target on their backs.