Saturday’s Ohio State versus Texas Longhorns matchup was the most-hyped college football season opener in recent memory, most of it thanks to UT quarterback Arch Manning, who was making his first start as Texas’ unquestioned starter.
Manning has generated plenty of buzz ever since he committed to the Longhorns as the No. 1 overall recruit in the country back in 2022, and after two years of sitting behind current Miami Dolphins QB Quinn Ewers, Manning finally got his shot.
The 21-year-old Manning entered the season as a Heisman Trophy favorite, with many picking Texas to be a legitimate College Football Playoff National Championship threat after being named the preseason No. 1 team in the country.
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But now there’s arguably more questions than answers surrounding the Longhorns following Saturday’s 14-7 loss to the defending CFP National Champion Ohio State Buckeyes.
Manning had perhaps the worst performance of his young career, completing 17 of 30 passes for 170 yards, a touchdown, and an interception (65 of those passing yards came on Texas’ second-to-lest drive.) He was outplayed by OSU sophomore Julian Sayin, who threw for 126 yards and a touchdown while completing 65% of his passes.
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Manning’s performance raised a lot of red flags about whether he was truly ready to be one of college football’s elite players, which was further evidenced when his Heisman odds saw a drastic fall during Saturday’s game.
Entering the game, Manning had the best odds of winning the Heisman (5-1) per FanDuel Sportsbook, but following his lackluster performance, they dropped to 13-1. The redshirt sophomore now trails LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier and Clemson QB Cade Klubnik, who are both tied with 15-2 odds, and Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith (13-1).
The good news for Manning is he has 11 games left to change everyone’s mind.
Texas has three very winnable games against San Jose State, UTEP, and Sam Houston to help Manning settle into a groove before the Longhorns travel to Florida on Oct. 4 for their first SEC matchup of the season.
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