THE TAKE
Couldn’t sleep. Been thinking too much about Texas & Ohio State.These 4 players (excluded QB’s) will decide the game. These 4 players will dictate who wins the biggest opening matchup, ever.
BOLDNESS
25/100
GRADE
48/100
PLAYERS / TEAMS
Caleb DownsColin SimmonsJeremiah SmithMalik Muhammad
GRADING CRITERIA
Ungradeble in full without knowing which four players are named; if players are later identified, grading would require that those four players each have statistically significant or game-changing impact (e.g., combined for touchdowns, sacks, turnovers, or yardage that visibly swung the game's outcome) and that the winning team's non-QB stars clearly outperformed the losing team's.
vagueunfalsifiablehot take
OUTCOME
PARTIALLY TRUEOhio State defeated No. 1 Texas 14-7 on August 30, 2025, in what became the most-watched Week 1 game in college football history — validating the 'biggest opening matchup ever' framing. Of the four named players, Caleb Downs made the game-sealing tackle (stopping Jack Endries 1 yard short of a first down on the final drive), and Jeremiah Smith contributed 6 catches for 43 yards, while Colin Simmons drew a costly facemask penalty that aided Ohio State's first TD drive. Malik Muhammad had no notable box-score moment per available recaps. The game was largely decided by the OSU defense broadly and a Carnell Tate TD catch — players not named in Acho's four — making the prediction only partially validated.