ESPN host Rece Davis believes this program will step up in Week 2 in one of the marquee matchups of this young 2026 college football season.

College football analyst Rece Davis is betting on the home team in the biggest game of Week 2, picking No. 4 Texas to beat No. 1 Ohio State on Saturday in Austin (7:30 p.m. ET, ABC) despite ranking the Buckeyes higher on his own board.

Davis broke from "College GameDay" podcast co-hosts Pete Thamel and Dan Wetzel, who both took Ohio State. The Buckeyes have won the last two meetings between the programs.

Davis leaned on Arch Manning's arm and the explosive plays he expects the Longhorns to hit against Ohio State defensive coordinator Matt Patricia. Manning completed 20 of 27 passes for 305 yards and four touchdowns in a 59-7 win over Texas State, but Davis said the senior left chunk plays on the field.

"You better let it rip against Ohio State because you're going to have a harder time consistently being productive against a Matt Patricia defense," Davis said. "You need those chunk plays. I think Texas gets them. I'm gonna go with Texas to beat Ohio State in what oughta be a great game."

Davis expects Cam Coleman and Hollywood Smothers to deliver those shots. Coleman, who transferred from Auburn after 708 receiving yards and five touchdowns as a sophomore, caught three passes for 70 yards and two scores in his debut. Ryan Wingo added seven catches for 121 yards and a touchdown.

Thamel predicted a 24-21 Buckeyes win built on the offensive line. "I feel like they control the ball and push them around," Thamel said.

Wetzel took Ohio State with a warning about the triple-digit Austin heat. "That is the one thing that you cannot ever really duplicate in training," Wetzel said.

Julian Sayin backed up the Buckeyes' top ranking in Week 1 by completing 21 of 25 passes for 320 yards and three touchdowns against Ball State. Jeremiah Smith caught eight passes for 151 yards and two scores, all before halftime.

Colin Simmons led the SEC with 12 sacks in 2025 but recorded one tackle, half a tackle for loss and a fumble recovery against Texas State. Ohio State held him to one solo tackle and no sacks a year ago in Columbus.

"Second game of the season, all that nervousness, all that jittery is out the door," Simmons said about the Texas game earlier this offseason. "We're coming. There's business to be taken care of."

"You see the level of confidence both guys are playing with," Steve Sarkisian said. "What you notice is the presence in the pocket and the confidence in using their legs."

Texas needs a cleaner ground game after gaining 111 rushing yards beyond Smothers' 45-yard opening run. Ohio State leads the all-time series 3-2, including the two most recent games: a 28-14 College Football Playoff semifinal win and a 14-7 victory in Columbus last year.