You ever seen a college football kickoff time start a full-on civil war? Well, welcome to the 2025 season, where before Arch Manning throws a single pass and Julian Sayin flexes his five-star arm, Texas and Ohio State are already trading blows—and it’s not even about football. Nah, this beef started in the boardroom. ADs, networks, and national analysts are now the ones going viral, and Texas Longhorns AD Chris Del Conte just got dragged straight into the fire by FOX Sports’ RJ Young.
So here’s the play-by-play before we get to the real smoke: Ohio State wanted to push their Week 1 showdown with Texas to Sunday night, August 31. Why? Primetime baby. More lights, more eyeballs, more everything. But Texas? They slammed that request like a DB knocking a receiver off his route. Del Conte stood ten toes down and said, ‘Nope, we’re sticking with noon ET on Saturday.’ His reason? “Why would I want to move the game to Sunday night and have a short week for our boys who were just told we were kicking off at high noon?”
That explanation didn’t sit right with Buckeye Nation. Ohio State fans have low-key been fed up with FOX’s “Big Noon Kickoff” special for years now. In 2024, the Buckeyes were stuck in six straight noon games to end their season. So when they saw another blue-blood battle getting the early window treatment, it felt like Groundhog Day. And don’t forget, this rematch has serious playoff residue. Ohio State sent Texas packing 28-14 in last year’s semifinal.
But the real fire got lit when RJ Young jumped on his No. 1 College Football podcast and clapped back at Del Conte’s explanation like it was personal. “Dawg, it was May,” Young scoffed. “It was never about moving the time of the game. It was just, ‘Hey, do you want to move the day?’” He even poked fun at Del Conte’s Southern drawl and his “hot dang” church excuse, joking, “If Chris Del Conte goes to an AME church, I would like to know about it.”
Young didn’t stop there. He called out the logic behind turning down a solo Sunday night national spotlight. “You know what I mean? Like, what we look like here? You know what I’m saying? But it’s not—we’re not even gonna be playing NFL games at that time. You would have that time slot all to yourself,” he said, implying Texas missed a huge marketing win. “That’s the other reason to do this—but just do it at primetime on a Sunday. Who cares that you’re up against ABC and Miami and whomever it is the hell they playing, because who been caring about Texas in the last eight?” Now that one hurt. Especially with the Longhorns coming off a 13-3 run and knocking on the natty door.
So was it fear of the lights or genuine player concern? That’s where it gets murky. Del Conte later clarified it wasn’t about church or nerves under the lights. It was about player recovery. A Sunday night game would mean less prep time for Week 2. Okay, fair… but the internet don’t care. The optics? Texas ducked a primetime showdown and RJ Young torched them for it. Del Conte low-key robbed Ohio State — and even some Texas fans — of their joy with that decision.
RJ Young got Texas over Ohio State and Arch Manning over Julian Sayin on season opener
RJ Young not only cooked Del Conte, RJ Young also spoke about the actual game. And oh boy, he made his pick loud and clear. He’s riding with Arch Manning. “I do think that Texas is going to have the edge here because Arch knows what he’s expected to do in Steve Sarkisian’s system,” Young said. “And Steve Sarkisian is one of the five best play callers in our sport, full stop.”
No cap, Arch ain’t your typical Manning. He’s more fluid, more athletic, and not afraid to move the chains with his legs. Peyton and Eli stayed parked in the pocket like a Chevy. Arch? He’s more like a Tesla in motion—smooth, fast, unpredictable. That gives Texas something it didn’t have when Ewers was limping through big moments last year.
And don’t get it twisted—Julian Sayin is HIM too. Nick Saban Approved QB. The kid was so hyped in Tuscaloosa that fans were ready to bench Milroe mid-season just to get a glimpse. But as RJ Young said, “When putting together the veteran look of the team and you’re asking which quarterback you expect to outperform the other, you got to go to Arch Manning, right?”
Young isn’t alone in that thinking. A wave of analysts are tipping their hats to Texas. Despite Ohio State being a 3.5-point favorite and hosting this clash in Columbus, there’s a growing whisper campaign that the Longhorns are more battle-tested. And when you stack Sarkisian’s offense with a reloaded defense that’s been lifting weights with a chip on their shoulder? Sheesh, don’t be shocked if they walk into the Horseshoe and silence 100,000. Both QBs are Red Bull athletes—explosive, focused, ready to fly. As Young put it: “Neither one of those guys want money. Both of those guys work really hard. Both of those guys are super talented.”
So here we are. A controversial noon kickoff, two baby-faced QB phenoms, and two fanbases frothing at the mouth for bragging rights. The oddsmakers might lean Buckeye, but RJ Young and a lot of momentum say otherwise.
Texas has the storybook. Now they just gotta prove it isn’t fiction.
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