Three writers from cleveland.com discussed a hypothetical all-time college football matchup between Ohio State and Texas. The conversation was prompted by the upcoming game on Aug. 30, 2025, which is being billed as a major season opener. Ohio State enters as defending national champions, while Texas begins the season ranked No. 1.
The panel compared all-time lineups for both teams, listing players such as Troy Smith, Archie Griffin, Eddie George, Marvin Harrison Jr., Cris Carter, and Chase Young for Ohio State; and Vince Young, Earl Campbell, Ricky Williams, Roy Williams, and Tony Brackens for Texas.
Stephen Means said: “I’m trying to take myself out of the Ohio State bubble you live in when you cover a single team while thinking about this. But even after that, I’m not sure this is close. (…) Even at running back, where Texas would have an edge over practically everyone, the combination of a two-time Heisman Trophy winner in Archie Griffin and the athletic freak that is Eddie George might be a significantly better tandem. (…) The depth of talent throughout the Buckeyes’ history is so great that you could even swap out names at a multitude of spots and still be comfortable taking them. (…) Texas surely has an impressive all-time roster. But it’s different between having a superstar team and a group of Looney Tunes Monstars that spent their career wrecking college football. It’s Ohio State and it might not be close, respectfully.”
Andrew Gillis offered his analysis: “As you lay out of the teams, I think it’s clear that Ohio State is behind in the offensive backfield. Sure, Troy Smith had a great Heisman season, and Griffin is the only two-time Heisman winner. But the trio of Vince Young, Earl Campbell and Ricky Williams (who left college football as the sport’s all-time leading rusher) gets the advantage. (…) Where Ohio State wins, though, is through the air and at the lines of scrimmage. At receiver, while Texas had a host of talented cornerbacks, they’re simply not enough to match up against the Ohio State receiver talent. (…) Ohio State’s linebacking corps of Spielman, Hawk and Gradishar would match up well on the ground, and the defensive line of Young, Bosa, Wilkinson and Heyward would wreak havoc on any offensive line. (…) It’s a tight matchup, but even with Texas winning the battle at quarterback, Ohio State wins out here.”
Stefan Krajisnik also selected Ohio State: “Yes, I’ll round out the trio of Ohio State writers picking the Buckeyes. However, I do think it comes from a sincere place. (…) Ohio State just won a national title doing two things better than anyone: dominating the line of scrimmage and perimeter. (…) With this group of receivers and defensive linemen, I can’t imagine many all-time college football teams beating Ohio State. (…) Texas has the edge at quarterback, which certainly carries heavy weight. But we just saw Jack Sawyer and J.T. Tuimoloau make life miserable for quarterbacks. I could only imagine how tough it would be to face Young and Bosa.(…) And at receiver — well, Ohio State has quickly become the standard. Spreading things out while you have George and Griffin in the backfield would be terrifying for an opposing defense.”
All three writers concluded by picking Ohio State over Texas in their hypothetical all-time matchup.
