Mack Brown predicts Texas to beat Ohio State in Week 1

The 2025 college football season kicks off with a bang as reigning National Champion Ohio State hosts SEC Regular Season Champion Texas in Columbus on August 30.

The monster matchup between the program powerhouses features many intriguing storylines, including the first marquee game of the Arch Manning era at Texas, a College Football Playoff Semifinal rematch between the two programs and a look at a young Ohio State core led by quarterback Julian Sayin and wide receiver Jeremiah Smith.

Former Texas head coach Mack Brown joined “The Triple Option” podcast this week, where he gave his pick for the winner of the game.

“I didn’t like that it’s the opening game for either team, especially when one loses in the [College Football Playoff] Semifinals and one wins the National Championship and loses its quarterback,” Brown said. “We had Louisiana-Lafayette the week before we went to Columbus to the shoe, so we had a warmup and won 60-3. So we at least had the routine of getting on the bus and getting all of those new players together and Friday night before the game and pregame — you’re not gonna have that. You have that young quarterback at Ohio State and this is Arch Manning‘s first really big deal and it’s gonna be in front of millions of people.”

Brown coached 16 seasons at Texas, where he led the Longhorns to a 158-48 overall record with a National Championship in 2005. He went on to coach six more seasons at North Carolina (2019-2024), where he posted a 113-79-1 record before he was fired following the 2024 season.

“I like Texas because they’ve got Arch back and Ohio State‘s inexperienced at quarterback. And I like the fact that it’s at noon for Texas. I played at 8:00 at night. I don’t know how many people were sober [at Ohio Stadium] but they were cussing and screaming and that was the loudest stadium I had ever heard in my life. It was a wonderful experience, but you do not want to go to Columbus, Ohio at night. I can promise you that. So when I saw it was a noon game, I thought what a great advantage for Texas. Don’t have to sit there all day. Don’t have to be nervous all day. At 12:00, it’s gonna be a lot different moment. It’s gonna be loud, but it’s not gonna be the same as it is at night.”