"Goes up there and whoop their a**": CFB analyst drops bold prediction on Steve Sarkisian's Texas' chances to win against Ohio State

Texas will go up against the national defending champion, Ohio State, in Week 1 of the 2025 college football season. The Longhorns’ last game of the 2024 season was against the Buckeyes in the Cotton Bowl, and the two teams are set to rekindle the battle to open the new season.

Despite the Buckeyes coming out with a 28-14 victory in the previous encounter, Mike Bratton is confident the Longhorns will get their revenge in Columbus next season. In his discussion with Cousin Shane on “That SEC Football Podcast” on Wednesday, Bratton touted Steve Sarkisian's team for the win.

“We can sit here and say, Texas got a new offensive line, 12 players just got drafted to the NFL,” Bratton said (Timestamp: 38:21). "Well, Ohio State has some guys drafted too, Shane, including their quarterback and all their running backs and a lot of defense. “So I'm not guaranteeing Texas goes up there and whoops their a**, but I'm guaranteeing it. Come on, Shane. We're going up there for the SEC. We're beating the defending champs and already Texas is favored to win it all. Those odds will just get better when they go up there and Ohio State's a**.”

After making an appearance in the College Football Playoff semifinal in the last two seasons, the Longhorns are considered the betting favorites for the national championship heading into the season. There's a lot of anticipation around the program, especially with Arch Manning taking over as the starting quarterback.

Cousin Shane admits Texas’ superiority despite Ohio State's talent level

While replying to the comment made by Mike Bratton, Cousin Shane admits the amazing talent level of Ohio State heading into the 2025 season. However, he noted that Texas boasts something superior, which offers it an edge ahead of the highly anticipated Week 1 game.

“I'll tell you right now, like you said, Ohio State's got plenty of talent,” Shane said. “I'm not knocking it. I got to see what they can do up there. They've got talent. They're paying for that talent. They'll always have talent. “But I do think Week 1 is important to have it now because these two teams are going to be almost identical. And when you have an identical matchup, I lean toward coaching. And let's just face it, Sark's ten times better than what we got up there in Ohio State.”

Both the Longhorns and the Buckeyes will play a new starting quarterback in the game following the departure of Quinn Ewers and Will Howard to the NFL. While Arch Manning is expected to start for Steve Sarkisian's team, Ryan Day still has a decision to make between Julian Sayin and Lincoln Kienholz.

Edited by Ribin Peter