It took Vince Young’s late-game heroics to lift last year’s National Champions and outlast Ohio State at Horse Shoe last season. Although Texas has the home field on their side in 2006, Ohio State and its powerful offense led by quarterback Troy Smith will seek revenge.

How does Texas’ defense compare to Ohio State’s prolific offense? My guess is not very good. Troy Smith’s ability to run and pass the ball will leave Texas at his mercy. When you throw Ted Ginn into the mix running down the skinny Texas secondary, things really start to look bad for the Longhorns.

However, Texas should also find some success on the offensive side of football, as Ohio State’s defense, which has 9 new starters, still needs time to acclimate to Division 1-A football. Ohio State gave up 343 yards to Northern Illinois last week and 171 to running back Garrett Wolfe. Expect Mack Brown to hit the Texas front 7 with run after run and mix in some easy passes for quarterback Colt McCoy to build his confidence and get him into rhythm.

With both offenses seemingly having an advantage over each other’s defense, where does the advantage lie? The advantage lies in the best offense, that of Ohio State. Texas is going to be better than many expected after last season, but Colt McCoy is a huge downfall at QB. He doesn’t have the ability to make the decisive plays that Vince Young made and that you’ll see Troy Smith make in this one. Ohio State may not have experience on the defensive end of the ball, but they know they’ll be able to take advantage of the Texas run. But know that the Buckeyes are not going to come into Texas and crush the Longhorns. Mack Brown has its teams better prepared than any other program in the country. Texas will be disciplined and encouraged to play, but Ohio State will prevail for the same reason Texas prevailed last year; They have more talent.

I expect a close back-and-forth game with Ohio State managing some quick scores and Texas being able to drive the ball. But my little penchant goes with the Buckeyes getting points, so we’ll stick to the points in the first big college football game of the season.