Expert Josh Nagel Shares 2026 Week 2 College Football Picks: Texas vs. Ohio State

Two of the top teams in the country clash when the top-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes face off with the fourth-ranked Texas Longhorns and quarterback Arch Manning. Ohio State opened its season with a 56-3 win over Ball State, while Texas rolled over Texas State 59-7. The Buckeyes (1-0), who finished tied for first with Indiana at 9-0 last season, were 12-2 overall. The Longhorns (1-0), who tied for fifth in the SEC at 6-2, were 10-3 overall in 2025. Visit our  DraftKings promo code  review and  get $200 in bonus bets as a new user after $5+ in wagers here :

Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET from DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas. The Longhorns are 1.5-point favorites in the latest Ohio State vs. Texas odds. The over/under for total points is 49.5. Texas winning would return -123 on the money line. Before making any Ohio State vs. Texas picks,  check out what SportsLine college football expert Josh Nagel has to say .

Nagel is a Reno-based analyst and radio host who has worked in the sports handicapping industry for more than 20 years. SportsLine's assistant managing editor has covered the wagering industry on a variety of platforms, and has won numerous sports handicapping contests. He enters the  college football season on a 26-13 roll over his past 39 Texas picks on college football betting sites . He has also returned $1329 to $100 players on  betting sites  on top-rated CFB picks. Anyone following has seen huge returns.

Now, Nagel has locked in another confident pick for Ohio State vs. Texas . You can visit SportsLine now to see his picks . Here are the FBS college football odds and trends for Texas vs. Ohio State:

Ohio State vs. Texas spread

Texas -1.5

Ohio State vs. Texas over/under

49.5 points

Ohio State vs. Texas money line

Texas -123, Ohio State +104

Ohio State vs. Texas picks

See picks at SportsLine

Ohio State vs. Texas streaming

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Top Ohio State vs. Texas predictions

One of Nagel's top picks for Ohio State vs. Texas: He's going Under 49.5 total points (-107) as Texas enters as the -1.5 favorite at  betting apps . Nagel sees defense being the name of the game, just as it was in last season's meeting. Ohio State had the nation's top defense in 2025, allowing 219.1 yards and 9.3 points per game. Texas, meanwhile, had a top-40 defense, allowing 338.8 yards and 20.3 points per game.

Nagel is confident the Under is the way to go. "(The Texas) defense held Heisman candidate Jeremiah Smith to just 43 yards on six catches," Nagel said of last year's meeting. This year, the defenses are off to similar starts as they have allowed just 10 combined points.  Head to SportsLine to see Nagel's Ohio State vs. Texas spread pick .

How to make Ohio State vs. Texas picks

In addition to going Under on the point total, he's found a crucial X-factor that makes one side of the spread a must-back. You absolutely need to see what it is before locking in any picks of your own.

So who wins Ohio State vs. Texas on Saturday, and what x-factor makes one side of the spread hit hard?  Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread to jump on, all from college football expert Josh Nagel, who is 26-13 (+1329) over his last 39 Texas picks , and find out.

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_Originally reported by [CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/betting/news/texas-ohio-state-prediction-odds-line-time-2026-week-2-college-football-expert-picks/)._