"It's gonna be heck of a challenge" - Steve Sarkisian gets extremely blunt on facing Ohio State to commence Arch Manning era in Texas

Steve Sarkisian's Texas will face a big challenge in its opening game of the 2025 college football season. The Longhorns will be on the road when they face reigning national champion Ohio State on Aug. 30.

On Tuesday, Sarkisian appeared on the "3rd & Longhorn" podcast and discussed Texas' season-opener against Ohio State.

"It's going to be a heck of a challenge," Sarkisian said. "They're a great team. They've got a lot of great players coming back. They'll have a ton of confidence. It's a tough place to play. But we'll be ready, and we'll be motivated."

"I think 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 that game, right? Because there's a lot of teams that avoid these games, and we're playing in the game, it should be a heck of a game. But I do think it can help springboard us for some bigger matchups that we have coming down the road."

Ohio State beat Texas in last season's college football playoff semifinal. The Longhorns will be aiming to exact revenge on the Buckeyes with the opportunity to play them in their first game of the new season.

The Buckeyes, who beat Notre Dame in the championship game, will also aim to have a strong start to their title defense.

Steve Sarkisian to hand QB1 role to Arch Manning for the 2025 season

Texas Longhorns HC Steve Sarkisian - Source: Imagn

Texas coach Steve Sarkisian has confirmed that Arch Manning will be the team's starting quarterback for the 2025 season. The QB, who comes from a family of football royalty, will have a platform to prove himself against one of the best teams in the country when the Longhorns travel to Ohio State for their season opener.

Manning was the QB2 at Texas last season, but started two games for the team when Quinn Ewers was out with an injury. He led the Longhorns to convincing wins in both games as a starter.

Now, Manning will have the starting role for himself. He made 10 appearances last season, posting 939 yards with nine touchdowns and two interceptions, while also rushing for four TDs.