Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith catches a pass during second half of the College Football Playoff national championship game against Notre Dame on Jan. 20 in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Butch Dill, File)

The Big Ten has won back-to-back national championships for the first time since 1940-42. Ohio State gets a chance to open its title defense Saturday when it hosts Texas in the best game featuring a Big Ten team this week.

Ohio State beat Texas 28-14 in a Cotton Bowl semifinal last sesaon.

This week’s schedule also has a pair of former Pac-12 rivals facing off when Utah visits UCLA. Utah now plays in the Big 12 while UCLA is in the Big Ten.

Game of the week

No. 1 Texas at No. 3 Ohio State, Saturday, noon ET (Fox)

Ohio State begins its national title defense with a rematch of its 28-14 Cotton Bowl semifinal victory over Texas. The last time Texas visited Columbus, the Longhorns defeated the Buckeyes 25-22 in their 2005 championship season.

This game marks the third career start for Texas quarterback Arch Manning, who backed up Quinn Ewers last season. It’s the first start for Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin, who won a preseason competition with Lincoln Keinholz.

BetMGM has Ohio State as a 2 1/2-point favorite.

The undercard

Utah at UCLA, Saturday, 11 p.m. ET (Fox)

These former Pac-12 rivals tangle in a nonconference game with UCLA now in the Big Ten and Utah in the Big 12. This game marks the UCLA debut for quarterback Nico Iamaleava, who transferred after helping Tennessee earn a College Football Playoff berth last season.

Impact players

Penn State RB Nicholas Singleton: He teams up with Kaytron Allen to give No. 2 Penn State a pair of returning 1,000-yard rushers. Singleton is one of three Penn State players on the preseason Associated Press All-America team along with OG Olaivavega Ioane and DT Zane Durant.

Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith: He capped his fabulous freshman season with a 56-yard catch on third-and-11 that essentially clinched the Buckeyes’ CFP championship game victory over Notre Dame. Smith starts his sophomore season by facing a Texas team that limited him to one catch for 3 yards in a Cotton Bowl semifinal.

Oregon S Dillon Thieneman: After earning AP All-America third-team honors as a freshman at Purdue in 2023, Thieneman collected 104 tackles last season to lead all Big Ten defensive backs. Thieneman will make his Oregon debut Saturday when the seventh-ranked Ducks host Montana State.

Get to know him

Michigan QB Bryce Underwood makes his highly anticipated college debut Saturday when the 14th-ranked Wolverines host New Mexico. The freshman from Detroit starred at Belleville High School and was the nation’s top-rated prospect in his class.

Underwood might not be the only Big Ten freshman quarterback who starts immediately. Maryland hit midweek without announcing a starting quarterback for its Saturday opener with Florida Atlantic, but freshman Malik Washington is a strong candidate to get the job.