Top-Five Rematch: Texas Hosts Ohio State in Early-Season Showcase on Disney’s ABC

No. 4 Texas will welcome No. 1 Ohio State to Austin on Saturday, September 12, 2026, in a Week 2 collision between two of college football’s premier programs. Kickoff at DKR Texas Memorial Stadium is set for 6:30 p.m. CDT, with national coverage on ABC.

The matchup carries plenty of recent history. The Longhorns opened their current season with a lopsided 59-7 victory, but their last meeting with the Buckeyes ended in a 14-7 defeat in Columbus a little more than a year ago. Texas left tackle Trevor Goosby, who has faced Ohio State in each of the past two seasons, framed the stakes simply: “this is pretty much Goliath against Goliath.”

The game also anchors a demanding slate for Texas, which counts eight matchups against ranked opponents this season. Ohio State, sitting atop the polls, faces five ranked teams as of Thursday — a figure that excludes its traditional season-ending clash with Michigan, which began the year ranked but has since dropped out of the top 25.

Where the media money meets the matchup

For viewers, the broadcast lands on ABC, part of The Walt Disney Company‘s television portfolio. Disney shares traded at $105.85 in recent action, up 1.6% from a prior close of $104.18, valuing the entertainment giant at roughly $181.8 billion. The company’s Sports segment — home to ESPN properties alongside the ABC network — remains a central piece of its business spanning Entertainment, Sports, and Experiences.

Cord-cutters have several routes to the game. Options include Sling TV with one-day passes starting at $4.99, fuboTV at $63.99 for the first month (then $88.99 monthly, with a five-day free trial), and DIRECTV STREAM at $59.99 for an introductory month before rising to $89.99. Hulu + Live TV runs $89.99 per month with a three-day trial and bundles Disney+ and ESPN Unlimited, while YouTube TV also carries ABC in most markets.

Marquee early-season college games continue to draw some of the largest audiences in American sports television, making contests like this one valuable inventory for networks and an engagement driver across the sports ecosystem — including betting operators such as Flutter Entertainment, whose shares traded at $98.73, down 0.6% from a prior close of $99.33, with a market cap near $17.5 billion.

What to watch

• Viewership figures for the ABC broadcast, given the top-five billing and rematch narrative.
• Whether Texas can avenge its 14-7 loss and how the result reshapes the top of the rankings.
• Disney’s upcoming earnings commentary on sports-driven advertising and affiliate demand.

Source: original release