Texas and Ohio State are facing off in Columbus, Ohio for one of the biggest games of the college football season. Here are the betting splits and most popular player prop bets on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Ohio State is a 1.5-point underdog against Texas with a total of 46.5 in Week 1.
Betting Splits
This will be one of the most bet-on games of the college football regular season. The noon game of the first full Saturday of college football, with the defending national champion, two of the biggest brands in the sport and two of the most popular players in the sport, is a recipe for massive public interest. Ohio State opened as a home favorite, but the odds have shifted to make Texas a short favorite as of Friday afternoon. At DraftKings Sportsbook, the public is on Texas, part of the reason for the odds movement.
On the moneyline, bettors are overwhelmingly on the Longhorns, with Texas taking 74% of the handle and 63% of the bets. That means both the public and bigger bettors alike are backing Texas to win the game outright. On the spread, it is a bit tighter in terms of splits — 51% of the bets and 58% of the handle are on Texas to cover. So while bigger bettors are leaning toward the Longhorns, it is almost an even 50/50 split in terms of tickets on the two teams to cover.
When it comes to the total, the public is on the over, but bigger bettors are on the under. This is typical of any game, but particularly a big game like this one. The public always wants to bet the over, which often inflates the price in that direction. For this game, 69% of the bets are on the over 46.5. However, just 59% of the handle is on the over. That indicates that bigger bettors are going against the grain and taking the under, hence why the total has dropped throughout the week to 46.5.
Most Popular Player Props
Here are the top five most-bet player props for the Ohio State/Texas matchup:
- Jeremiah Smith Anytime TD (-105)
- Arch Manning Anytime TD (+180)
- Julian Sayin Anytime TD (+500)
- Jeremiah Smith 2+ TDs (+600)
- Jeremiah Smith First TD (+700)
Two of the most popular players in the country will be facing off in this game, and it is reflected in the public betting numbers. Jeremiah Smith was a sensation at wide receiver as a freshman, helping Ohio State win the national title last season. The sky is the limit for Smith, and his 2025 campaign starts in the biggest game of the weekend. Bettors are backing Smith to have a big game in every way possible. The most popular player prop of the game is for Smith to score a touchdown, with Smith to score 2+ touchdowns and Smith to score the first touchdown of the game also inside the top five.
It is no surprise that Smith is being bet on so heavily by the public. However, Texas shut down Smith when these teams faced off in the College Football Playoff semifinals last season. Ohio State went on to win that game and the national title, but Texas’ goal in that game was “don’t let Jeremiah Smith beat us,” and they succeeded in that mission. Smith had just one catch for three yards against the Longhorns, by far his worst game of the season. Texas should be elite on defense once again, and if they come into this game with the same strategy, they could slow Smith down once again.
The other player everyone is talking about ahead of this game is Arch Manning. Manning saw some action last season, getting two starts and being used in unique packages in the Texas offense. However, this season, he enters as the starter and has incredibly high expectations to meet. Bettors are backing Manning to rush for a touchdown in this game against Ohio State. Unlike his uncles, Manning is a mobile quarterback who loves to use his legs. Last season, Manning had four rushing touchdowns despite being the backup. For a young quarterback on the road against a great defense, running plays can be easier to handle than passing plays. When Texas gets close to the end zone, they might just let Manning take off and run to score.
The other quarterback in this game is Ohio State’s Julian Sayin. Like Manning, he is taking on a big responsibility as a first-time starting quarterback on a national title contender. However, unlike Manning, Sayin has minimal college experience. Sayin attempted 12 passes, all in garbage time, as a freshman last season. He is now the main man in Columbus and is hoping to pick up where Will Howard left off. Sayin isn’t nearly as mobile as Manning, but bettors are still backing him to rush for a touchdown in this game.
