Texas Confirms Major Ohio State Concern After What Buckeye Fans Did in Austin in 2006

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The city of Austin knows how to throw a weekend party, but local officials are watching the forecast for a completely different reason. A massive wave of scarlet red is heading toward Texas, and stadium bosses know exactly what that means. They saw this movie twenty years ago. When Ohio State fans decide a road trip is worth it, official headcounts quickly go out the window.

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Texas gave Ohio State 3,800 tickets for Saturday’s top-five showdown at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. The Longhorns received the same number last season when they came to Columbus. That number, however, doesn’t seem to have convinced Texas deputy AD Rob Novak that the Buckeyes will only bring 3,800 people.

With stadium safety and crowd management plans already locked in for over 100,000 fans, the concern isn’t inside the bowl; it’s managing the tens of thousands flooding campus without a ticket.

“I have to imagine there will be more than that here,” he said, according to Houston Chronicle columnist Kirk Bohls.

Ohio State's got a way of taking over road games, and this Texas matchup is shaping up to be no exception. Subscribe for more interesting stories.

He has a reason to be concerned. Texas has seen this before. The last time Ohio State played in Austin was in 2006. The Buckeyes were given only about 4,000 tickets for that September matchup with the No. 2 Longhorns. But thousands more OSU fans made the trip anyway.

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Ohio State alumni leaders estimated that 35,000 to 40,000 fans would descend on Austin, while at least 10,000 reportedly showed up without game tickets simply because they wanted to be part of the weekend. The scarlet-and-gray invasion became part of the story. So, what happened on the field? The Buckeyes went out and won 24-7.

That 2006 trip still hangs over this matchup. Ohio State hasn’t been back to Austin since, and now it returns as the No. 1 team with the whole country watching. This isn’t just another September game. There’s too much history, too much ranking drama, and too much riding on it.

Ryan Day has also had Steve Sarkisian’s number so far. He’s 2-0 against the Texas coach, with the biggest win coming in the CFP semifinal before Ohio State went on to win the 2024 national title. The Buckeyes also beat the Longhorns 14-7 in Columbus last season, making Saturday the third consecutive year the programs have met. Now the setting flips.

The game is sold out, and the ticket market is already showing the demand. The cheapest resale listings have been hovering around the $550 range, with some lower-bowl seats climbing well past $1,000. A few premium sections are listed for several thousand dollars. That makes the 3,800 official visitor allotment almost beside the point.

Buckeye fans don’t necessarily need a seat inside the stadium to make their presence obvious. Austin has been preparing for a football weekend that will stretch far beyond the stadium gates, with watch parties, tailgates, live music, and alumni gatherings scattered around the city.

There is even a free Ohio State watch party at Buford’s Backyard Beer Garden on West Sixth Street on Saturday, giving fans another place to gather if they couldn’t justify the price of admission. The weekend starts early, too.

ESPN’s College GameDay will broadcast from the LBJ Lawn Saturday morning, while Friday night features a free Athletes First Tailgate Tour with former Texas stars Vince Young and Colt McCoy alongside former Ohio State QB Cardale Jones. In other words, Texas is hosting both Ohio State and its fans. And that may be the part Longhorn officials remember most from 2006.

For Texas, this is still about beating a team that has already spoiled the program’s recent meetings with it. For Ohio State, it is a chance to make an early statement on the road after last season ended short of another championship.

But before kickoff, Austin may already have its answer to Rob Novak’s question. The Buckeyes were officially handed 3,800 tickets. But judging by what happened the last time, that may have been more of a suggestion than a limit.

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