Ohio State is heading to Austin for its high-stakes showdown against Texas. However, Arch Manning and his offense aren’t the only things that the Buckeyes have to worry about before the game. Ryan Day’s team will also have to deal with extreme heat in the late-afternoon kickoff fixture. Fortunately, the program has been preparing for it.

With temperatures expected to reach around 100 degrees, Day revealed that Ohio State has turned to sports-science research and adjusted its preparation to help players handle the conditions.

“We did some studies this summer, sports science-wise, to do what we could to get our guys ready,” Ryan Day told the media. “We’ve looked at some of the practice we’ve had and looked at the heat index, not nearly what they’ve been dealing with. We try to do some different things, sports science-wise. I won’t get into all of what those are, but not overdoing it either.”

Even though Day does not want the conditions to become an unnecessary distraction before the game, Ohio State is not taking the expected Texas heat lightly. The move comes after Texas’ Week 1 clash with Texas State saw severe heat-related problems among fans at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.

On September 5, extreme afternoon heat created severe medical and operational issues inside the stadium. Since the game kicked off at 2:30 PM, the fans and the players had to endure the hottest part of the day. During the game, the ambient air temperature reached 102 degrees, while the heat index was between 105 and 108 degrees under direct sunlight on metal bleachers.

While no player was taken out due to heat, Austin-Travis County EMS had to attend to 13 fans, who were sent to area hospitals. The situation will be slightly different on September 12.

The kickoff time is 6:30 PM. That means the sun will set during play, which will help lower air temperatures. Even then, the heat index is projected to reach 103-105 degrees in the first half. More importantly, programs in the South are better adapted to playing in hot conditions. It’s going to be a different challenge for Ohio State players who are more used to Midwest weather.

Ryan Day did not reveal exactly what changes Ohio State has made. However, he made it clear that the goal is to expose the players to enough additional heat without going too far. At the same time, the Ohio State head coach wants his players not to let the heat narrative play on their minds.

“It’s going to be the same for both sides,” Day said. “I’m sure both teams will play a lot of depth, and it’ll be the same for both teams,” he added.

It remains to be seen how big a factor the heat is going to be for Julian Sayin and his teammates. Some of Ohio State’s players have roots in the South. The likes of Legend Bey, Brock Boyd, Devin McCuin, Kyle Parker, Payton Pierce, and Devin Sanchez must have played their high school games in similar conditions in Texas. The same goes for Jeremiah Smith, Kenyatta Jackson Jr., Ja’Kobi Jackson, and Earl Little Jr.

Ohio State enters the game as the No. 1-ranked team in the AP Top 25 rankings. On the other side, Steve Sarkisian’s team is looking for redemption for their loss at Columbus in Week 1 of the 2025 campaign. With a win at home, the Longhorns can jump in the rankings and prove that they are national championship contenders this season.

A lot of focus ahead of the game has been on the two offenses. Arch Manning showed improvement in Week 1 with a four-touchdown performance against Texas State. But Julian Sayin wasn’t bad either, while Jeremiah Smith continued his generational run in his junior year. However, the game may get decided on the other side of the ball. Will the matchup produce another low-scoring game like last year’s 14-7?