Desmond Howard declares Ohio State game a must-win for Texas, Steve Sarkisian

While Week 0 of the 2025 college football season provided some compelling matchups, the entire offseason has been building toward one game — Saturday’s Top 5 showdown between No. 1 Texas and No. 3 Ohio State at noon ET on FOX.

It’s a rematch of last season’s College Football Playoff Cotton Bowl national semifinal, in which the Buckeyes knocked off the Longhorns, 28-14, en route to claiming the 2024 national championship. But given some of the storylines involved — including the long-anticipated debut of Arch Manning as Texas’ starting quarterback, as well as the first-career start of Ohio State freshman QB Julian Sayin — Saturday’s matchup provides potentially even more fascinating storylines for fans to watch for.

It’s because of the overwhelming preseason Manning hype, as well as the revenge aspect, that College GameDay analyst Desmond Howard declared it a “must-win” for the Longhorns and fifth-year head coach Steve Sarkisian.

“I think it’s a must-win for Steve Sarkisian and Texas, because you look at what happened the last time these teams met,” Howard said Friday morning on ESPN’s First Take. “Obviously Ohio State beat them in a College Football Playoff game and they went on to win the national championship. At that moment, that buys Ryan Day, Ohio State’s head coach, a lot of currency with the fanbase. Now he’s playing with house money. If he goes out and loses the game to Texas, nobody’s going to be putting for sale signs in front of his house.

“Steve Sarkisian needs this win. The last time these two teams played, they lost this game. He comes in with Arch Manning (at QB) and the more talented squad on paper. But we don’t know that yet because they’re still inexperienced in some slots. So I think that Steve Sarkisan and the Longhorns really need this victory tomorrow afternoon in Columbus.”

Desmond Howard pushes back on Arch Manning hype ahead of Texas opener: ‘I don’t think that it’s warranted’

Will Arch Manning live up to the hype this season? ESPN’s Desmond Howard doesn’t know how he can, considering how illegitimately high it has already been set for the Longhorns’ quarterback.

Appearing on ESPN’s First Take on Friday, Howard told Stephen A. Smith that he doesn’t think Manning is worthy of the preseason expectations placed upon him. That said, while understanding a lot of it is because of his last name, Howard thinks he’s a good quarterback and a fine player rather than already seeing him as the best in college football like many are expecting.

“Not at all, and the reason I say that is because, unless he was one of the top finalists a year ago, meaning he was on the stage in New York and announced as one of the finalists, then I don’t think he deserves that type of attention coming into the 2025 season,” said Howard. “Maybe mention him for the Davey O’Brien Award, or the Johnny Unitas but the Heisman is the best football player in all of college football and we have yet to see that.

“You know like I know, in this sport, that name, the Manning name carries a lot of weight and it produces a lot of clicks, so we get it,” Howard continued. “But, as far as performing on the field, what I’ve seen from him thus far? The kid has a very high ceiling. He’s extremely talented. But, to throw his name in there for the Heisman in late July, early September? I don’t think that it’s warranted at this stage.”

— On3’s Sam Gillenwater contributed to this report.