ESPN's Heather Dinich explains why Week 1 means more to Texas than Ohio State

ESPN’s Heather Dinich claimed Texas’ Week 1 matchup against Ohio State means more to the Longhorns than vice versa. Essentially, Texas has more to lose with a more difficult schedule in 2025.

This game is in Columbus too, so it’s no easy task for whoever goes to the Horseshoe, considering the Buckeyes just won a national title. But Texas has national title expectations this fall, so winning this game is paramount, especially when it comes to the CFP committee later in the season.

Dinich broke down why the Longhorns probably need a Week 1 win more than the Buckeyes. Just look at Texas’ SEC schedule this year!

“I’m going to say it’s going to matter more to Texas right now, simply because they have the number four most difficult schedule in the country,” Dinich said on SportsCenter. “They need some cushion here, because if they don’t win this one, remember, they are at Florida, they have to play their rival Oklahoma, they are at Georgia, they end the season with Texas A&M. I mean, this is (one where) you could easily have more than one loss in this schedule. 

“That’s not to say Ohio State’s schedule is easy. They got Penn State. They have to go to Illinois. They have Washington. But when you look at it on paper, I think Texas has the more difficult road ahead. And remember, the selection committee considers head to head tie breakers, so the winner of this game, it will resonate right through selection day.”

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian knows every game is important throughout the course of a season. But it’s no secret all eyes will be on Texas and Ohio State to kickoff the year.

“At some point, you need new, so right around that time in the dog days of camp we’ll pivot and start getting ready for Ohio State,” Sarkisian said in June. “This is going to be a heck of a challenge. They’re a great team, they’ve got a lot of great players coming back. They’ll have a lot of confidence. It’s a tough place to play. But we’ll be ready, and we’ll be motivated …

“In this day and age of the 12-team playoff, I surely hope the committee doesn’t punish either of the teams that play in that game for playing in that game. There’s a lot of teams that avoid these games.”