Ohio State's 12-0 Collapse and Texas's 43 New Faces: The 2026 Season Just Got Real

Alright Seattle, listen up! We're exactly 100 days from college football kickoff, and the buzz just hit T-Mobile Park levels of hype. CBS Sports dropped some major news, spotlighting Ohio State and Texas as the absolute top bounce-back candidates for the 2026 season. After what went down last year for both these squads, you know the pressure is on. Both programs rolled into 2025 with championship expectations, and both walked away with the bitter taste of falling short. It was a gut punch, plain and simple.

How Do You Go 12-0 and STILL Miss Out? Ask Ohio State

Seriously, can you even imagine? Ohio State went a perfect 12-0 in the regular season last year, they even took down Michigan, which is always huge. But then, the wheels fell off. They dropped the Big Ten Championship Game to Indiana, and then got bounced by Miami in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal. Talk about heartbreak! For 2026, though, they're bringing back most of that 2025 offense. Quarterback Julian Sayin is at the helm, alongside running back Bo Jackson, receiver Jeremiah Smith, and four of their five offensive line starters. That's a serious core right there.

Sayin told On3 that beating Michigan last season was "needed to get done," but made it crystal clear the bigger goal remains. He said, "We want to put another one of these banners up. The standard at Ohio State is to win every game." And his top target, Jeremiah Smith, is all in. Smith raved about Sayin, saying, "That arm is different. He can make any and every throw. Just a smart quarterback. Like me, he's a little quiet. But he's starting to come out of his shell. He's definitely going to be a guy. It's going to be scary for opponents." Analyst RJ Young is already calling Sayin's receiver corps potentially the most lethal Ryan Day has ever had. That’s a bold statement, but if it’s true, watch out!

Texas's Massive Roster Reset: 43 New Faces!

Over in Austin, Texas is attacking 2026 with the same kind of urgency, but with a totally different approach. Their 2025 season saw them hit a 9-3 regular season record, but they never even got a sniff of the playoff. They ended up winning the Cheez-It Bowl against Michigan, but let's be real, that felt more like a consolation prize than a celebration. What's wild is their roster transformation for this upcoming season. The Longhorns lost a staggering 40 scholarship players to the NFL draft, graduation, and the transfer portal. Forty! That's insane turnover.

But they weren't sitting around. They replaced those losses with 43 new faces. We're talking 19 transfer portal additions and 24 freshmen. That's not just a roster tweak, that’s a full-blown, massive roster reset. Arch Manning's next chapter in Austin is going to look completely different than what we saw last year. It’s a huge gamble, but you gotta respect the ambition.

So, what’s the first big test for these two titans? Week 2. Ohio State heads to Austin to face Texas. This isn't just an early season matchup, folks. This is the first major measuring stick for whether all that optimism, all those new faces, and all that hunger translates into real results. You better believe I'll be glued to the screen. The 2026 season starts now, and it's going to be a wild ride!

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.