Texas does not get much time to ease into 2026. After opening against Texas State, the Longhorns welcome Ohio State to Austin in Week 2, and Tyler Horka believes that game could shape everything that follows.
The college football analyst views the rematch as a major test for Arch Manning and Steve Sarkisian after last season’s 2025 opener ended in a 14-7 loss and sent Texas down a bumpier road than expected.
Tyler Horka Says Texas Has to Beat Ohio State
“I think the fact that we are talking about it as a Week 2 game is huge for Texas,” Horka said. “Last year, Texas was preseason number one. Texas had Arch Manning, and he was being hyped like the greatest thing since sliced bread, and then it all came crashing down with only seven points scored in a 14 to 7 loss.”
Horka believes having one game before Ohio State should help. Still, he did not soften the stakes.
“You have to win that game if you’re Steve Sarkisian,” Horka said. “You have to win that game if you’re Arch Manning because it still is so early that it does set the tone for the rest of your year.”
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Horka also wrote on X that Texas has the toughest schedule in college football and warned that another loss to Ohio State would leave little room for mistakes once SEC play begins.
“Win that game, and it sets the Longhorns up to be the top dog in the SEC,” Horka said about Texas’ matchup against Ohio State. “Lose that game, and the margin of error is minuscule and UT is at risk of underachieving again.”
Texas travels to Tennessee two weeks later, then gets Oklahoma, Florida, and Ole Miss before November road trips to Missouri, LSU, and Texas A&M.
That is less a runway than a weekly obstacle course.
Arch Manning Gets Another Chance to Rewrite the Script
Manning entered 2025 surrounded by Heisman Trophy hype, but Ohio State immediately complicated the story. He completed 17 of 30 passes for 170 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception as Texas scored only 7 points.
He eventually settled in and finished the season with 3,163 passing yards, 26 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions. His 83.1 PFN CFB QB Impact grade ranked 37th nationally, a solid result that still fell short of the enormous expectations attached to his first full season as a starter.
Texas went 9-3 in the regular season and finished 13th in the final College Football Playoff rankings, missing the field by one spot. The Longhorns later beat Michigan in the Citrus Bowl.
Horka believes beating Ohio State this time would give Texas valuable breathing room: “Once you lose to Ohio State like you did last year, the margin of error is so much smaller and slimmer.”
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The rematch comes at home. Moreover, Manning has a full season of starting experience behind him, and Texas gets a tune-up first, which is why there may not be many excuses left if the result looks familiar.
For a team trying to avoid another season defined by what it did not accomplish, Week 2 already looks much bigger than Week 2.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.