The Ohio State Buckeyes entered the 2025 college football season under a lot of pressure. Ryan Day led the Buckeyes to the national championship last year and could easily repeat. He and new quarterback Julian Sayin took their first step to that goal with a 14-7 win over the Texas Longhorns. However, former college football coach Lou Holtz needs to see more from the team.
The Buckeyes won a defensive battle on Saturday, forcing Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning into a lot of poor throws. Despite that, the Texas offense had a better day than Ohio State's. Regardless of which unit was better, Sayin led two touchdown drives while Manning put his team in the end zone just once. The win gave the Buckeyes the No. 1 spot in the country.
Holtz appeared on The Silver Bulletin to give his thoughts on Day's season opener. According to the former head coach, the Buckeyes are not as good a team as the rest of the country thinks they are. In his opinion, the offense needs to be better before he is willing to buy in.
Lou Holtz is at is again:
“I don’t think Ohio State’s a great football team. When you’re at home and you’re outgained by 100 yards, you just can’t say you’re great. I would not be overwhelmed by facing Ohio State.”
— The Silver Bulletin (@tSilverBulletin) September 3, 2025
“I don’t think Ohio State’s a great football team. When you’re at home and you’re outgained by 100 yards, you just can’t say you’re great. I would not be overwhelmed by facing Ohio State.”
Day and the Buckeyes are the top-ranked team in the country for now. However, the rest of their schedule is no cake walk. The Penn State Nittany Lions sit right behind them in the rankings and will have their shot against Sayin on November 1. By that point, Ohio State's offense needs to take a jump if it wants to capture another national title.
Luckily for the Buckeyes, Jeremiah Smith and the rest of the offense have the talent to improve. Texas has one of the best defenses in the country, leaving some Ohio State fans encouraged, even if their team did not win the game in blowout fashion. However, there is a long way to go in the season and a lot could change.