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Over $40 million in 2026 roster spending per program arrives at DKR Stadium on Saturday night, when Ohio State closes a 1,234-mile road trip to Austin for a Top-5 rematch with Texas.
The first meeting, played in Columbus, landed flat; this one arrives with sharper stakes and heavier payrolls on both sidelines, with playoff-seeding implications that make an early stumble expensive.
Steve Sarkisian's stated standard, "semifinals aren't good enough," sets the floor on the Texas side.
Ohio State, a Big Ten program now operating inside SEC territory, brings a roster built to compete at championship level, with Arch Manning and Julian Sayin as the controlling quarterback matchup.
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