Arch Manning’s stock took a big leap after Texas stunned No. 1 Ohio State, and the Heisman race is already starting to look like a two-gear conversation.
Manning sits third on the board at +850 after Week 2, a major move from +1100 following the opener. He’s now ahead of Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr, and his rise comes on the heels of a comeback that had Texas digging out of a 20-point hole in the fourth quarter.
The Longhorns’ win changed the shape of the race, but it didn’t move Manning into the top spot. That still belongs to Miami quarterback Darian Mensah, who is listed at +550 and kept rolling in Week 2 against Florida A&M. Miami stayed unbeaten, and Mensah kept his numbers pristine: eight touchdowns, no interceptions, and a 91.1 percent completion rate.
He’s put together the kind of start that puts a quarterback squarely in the finalist conversation, even if the schedule has been friendly so far. Through two games, Mensah has thrown for 653 yards and eight scores.
Jeremiah Smith also made a major statement in the Texas-Ohio State game, and the star Ohio State receiver is actually ahead of Manning in the odds at +700. Smith turned in eight catches for 164 yards and a touchdown in the loss, and his two-game line is already eye-catching: 16 receptions, 315 yards and three touchdowns, with a 19.7-yard average per catch.
The Heisman board is packed with receivers near the top. Miami’s Malachi Toney is tied for fifth at +1200 with Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss. Toney has 16 catches for 330 yards and four touchdowns after a blistering 234-yard, three-score outing against Stanford in Week 1.
Manning’s own stat line against Ohio State was uneven - 195 passing yards, one touchdown and one interception - but the comeback itself was enough to send his name surging. Texas also looks far better positioned for a College Football Playoff push after taking down the Buckeyes, and Manning’s dual-threat skill set gives him room to pile up numbers in that offense. In two games, he has 500 passing yards, five touchdowns, a 67.2 percent completion rate and 30 rushing yards on 11 carries.
Not everyone who flashed early held steady. Sam Leavitt vaulted to +1900 after Week 1 against Clemson, but he’s slid all the way back to +3500 after a rough Week 2 against Louisiana Tech. In that game, he threw three interceptions, leaving him with four picks and only two touchdown passes through two games.
No other player is listed shorter than +5000, which tells you how concentrated the race is this early. Mensah has the lead, Smith and Manning are charging, and the rest of the board is already trying to keep pace.
In Other News...
Miami's Next ACC Test Comes With A Wake Forest Threat
Miamis first real ACC road test of the season lands in Winston-Salem on Saturday night, where the Hurricanes will face a Wake Forest team that has made an early habit of turning games into track meets. Miami enters at 2-0 after handling Florida A&M, while Wake Forest is also unbeaten after outlasting Purdue in double overtime, setting up a matchup that should tell a lot more about both teams than the first two weeks have.
The Demon Deacons have already shown they can stress a defense in more than one way, and that makes this one worth watching for Miami beyond the usual conference backdrop. Wake Forest has a quarterback who can move the ball through the air and on the ground, plus a receiver who has been piling up production early, so the Hurricanes will have to be sharp from the start with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m. EST on ESPN. [Read more 🡒]
Miamis Surging Defense Is Suddenly Facing A Secondary Problem
Miamis defense has been one of the early bright spots of the season, with the Hurricanes stringing together a touchdown-free stretch that has helped steady the team while the offense finds its rhythm. But Mario Cristobal revealed this week that junior cornerback Xavier Lucas will be sidelined for about a month, another hit to a secondary that has already been dealing with injuries and has had to stay afloat through a mix of versatile transfers and true freshmen.
The timing makes the setback harder to ignore, with Wake Forest up next and the Hurricanes still trying to protect the integrity of a back end that has held up well enough to keep the streak alive. Miami is expected to update its injury report before that game, and for a defense that has built momentum by avoiding breakdowns, the next few weeks will be as much about depth and adaptation as they are about maintaining the standard. [Read more 🡒]
Miami Still Chasing The Kind Of Win That Changes Everything
A jolt like Texas delivered against No. 1 Ohio State is exactly the kind of game every contender spends all offseason chasing. Early in the 2026 season, the Longhorns grabbed a win that immediately reshaped the SEC title and College Football Playoff conversation, and it also fit into a long college football tradition of seismic victories over the countrys top-ranked team. Those are the kinds of results that do more than fill a line in the standings. They alter the way a season feels.
For Miami, the larger point is obvious: the Hurricanes are still looking for that signature moment, the kind of win that changes how the sport sees them and how they see themselves. The historical examples around Texas, Ohio State and other blueblood programs only sharpen the contrast, because the teams that take that leap usually do it by beating the very best when it matters most. Miami has the talent and the spotlight to be part of that conversation, but until it lands that defining result, the question hanging over the program remains the same. [Read more 🡒]