Texas, fresh off the first No. 1 ranking in the preseason Associated Press Top 25 poll in program history, finds itself a 2.5-point underdog to No. 3 Ohio State for their Week 1 showdown in Columbus, according to ESPN BET lines.
Barring significant line movement, this would make the Longhorns the first ever top-ranked team to be an underdog in Week 1, according to ESPN Research data dating back to 1978.
The previous tightest Week 1 point spread for a No. 1 team was when Florida State lost outright as a four-point favorite at No.