In Ohio, there’s no such thing as being too excited for college football to begin. This is a state where Ohio State playoff chances are a hot topic several weeks before the first ball is snapped in the 2025 season.
And what a juicy Week 1 matchup Buckeyes fans can look forward to as OSU opens its defense of last year’s College Football Playoff national title. The Texas Longhorns – ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press preseason poll, released on Monday – visit Ohio Stadium on Aug. 30 for one of the most anticipated opening-week matchups in recent memory. That led BetOhio to wonder: What have been the best and most impactful Week 1 games since 2000?
Year, Matchup | Winner | Impact |
2025, No. 1 Texas at No. 3 Ohio State | TBD | TBD |
2022, No. 5 Notre Dame at No. 1 Ohio State | OSU, 21-10 | OSU made CFP; ND went 9-4 |
2021, No. 5 Georgia at No. 3 Clemson | UGA, 10-3 | UGA won national title; Clemson went 10-3 |
2012, No. 8 Michigan at No. 1 Alabama | Bama, 41-14 | Bama won national title; Michigan went 8-5 |
2011, No. 3 Oregon at No. 4 LSU | LSU, 40-27 | LSU lost BCS title game; Oregon won Rose Bowl & went 12-2 |
2003, No. 8 USC at No. 6 Auburn | USC, 23-0 | USC won AP national title; Auburn went 8-5 |
Ohio sports betting sites will be hopping in the weeks leading up to the OSU-Texas game. Lines are already available – the Buckeyes, ranked No. 3 in the preseason AP poll and second in the coaches poll, are a unanimous 2.5-point favorite at several sportsbooks we sampled in early August.
The chart above is not meant to simply reflect preseason rankings. The Week 1 games we chose not only had great pregame buzz (in all cases it was one football power facing another in a preseason clash with national appeal) but they all wound up having a major impact on the rest of the season.
The losers in the games we listed did not achieve preseason expectations except for the 2011 Oregon Ducks, who rebounded nicely from their opening loss at LSU.
But that is less of a worry for Ohio State national title odds in 2025, even if the Buckeyes lose to the Longhorns in a few weeks in the opener. Here’s why.
In the simplest terms, a 12-team College Football Playoff gives powerhouse teams more breathing room. The two teams meeting in Columbus in August are both great examples.
Texas lost to Georgia twice last season – once in Austin and again in the SEC Championship game. If the CFP field had still had four teams, as it did from 2014 to 2023, would the Longhorns have made the Playoff? Remember, no two-loss team was ever selected in the 10 years of a four-team CFP.
College football betting customers at Ohio sportsbook apps know very well that OSU fits this scenario even better. The Buckeyes ended their regular season with a 13-10 loss at home to Michigan, which would have knocked OSU out of a four-team CFP field for sure. A 10-2 season, for a team that didn’t even make the Big Ten Championship Game, would have led to a New Year’s Day Six bowl, but nothing more. But Ohio State did make the inaugural 12-team Playoff and we all know what happened from there, with those backing the Buckeyes for Ohio college football betting cashing in big at the end.
A two-loss team from a power conference – especially from the Big Ten or SEC, the two megapowers meeting at The Horseshoe in Week 1 – now has an excellent chance at qualifying for the 12-team CFP, especially if one of those defeats is against another traditional juggernaut. So the loser of the Ohio State-Texas game can take comfort in knowing that their season is very far from over.
This could start a good trend for fans who want to see more exciting matchups in Week 1 and fewer blowouts where top-ranked teams play patsies just so they can start 1-0.
Folks using Ohio sports betting promo codes to sign up with operators can look forward to not only a great opening non-conference matchup, but a Big Ten schedule for OSU that includes home games against Minnesota, Penn State, UCLA and Rutgers. The road slate in the league includes games at Washington, Illinois, Wisconsin, Purdue and Michigan.
One oddity from last season is that the Buckeyes won the national title, yet they did not reach their preseason 10.5-win total at sportsbooks. Because their regular season ended with 10 victories and postseason games do not count in calculating over/under wagers, OSU under bettors cashed in (and probably spent that money on national championship merchandise).
Again this year, the preseason Ohio State football win total at sportsbooks is 10.5 across the board.
One more note about the Ohio State-Texas game: On Sept. 9, 2006, the earliest No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup in the AP poll era took place. The two teams involved? Top-ranked Ohio State and second-ranked Texas. But that was in Week 2, so it’s not included in our list. OSU won that one 24-7.
Will this Week 1 test, featuring AP’s No. 1 against No. 3, be even better? And can we start expecting this kind of star-laden Week 1 goodness more often in the ensuing years?
USA Today Network photo by Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch
Author
Ohio native Jim Tomlin has 30 years of experience in journalism, mostly in sports. He lends his expertise to BetOhio.com as a writer and editor after previous experience at the Tampa Bay Times, FanRag, Saturday Down South and Saturday Tradition.
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