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...
Ohio State Suddenly Has A CFP Scheduling Problem Fans Will Debate
The latest reminder came from Stillwater, where Oklahoma States win over Oregon set off a celebration that included students carrying a goalpost into a campus pond. Beyond the scenes of jubilation, the result fed directly into a familiar college football argument: whether powerhouse programs should keep loading up on difficult non-conference games when every loss can carry real College Football Playoff consequences.
Ohio State followers know that debate well, because the Buckeyes have long valued the kind of early-season test that can sharpen a team and energize a schedule. But when coaches such as Brent Venables, Steve Sarkisian and Dan Lanning talk about the risks and rewards of those matchups, they are really pointing to the same uncomfortable question fans keep circling. In a playoff era that can punish even a quality loss, the margin between a statement win and a season-long regret can be awfully thin. [Read more 🡒]
Ryan Day Faces Ohio State's Biggest Early Problem
A season-opening loss usually gets measured in the broad strokes, but this one left Ohio State with a much sharper lesson. After building a multi-score second-half lead against Texas, the Buckeyes let the game slip away and were left to answer for a finish that never matched the promise of the first three quarters. Ryan Day pointed to defensive issues and red zone struggles as part of the unraveling, a familiar kind of regret for a team with big expectations.
Day did not try to separate himself from the problem, saying the responsibility for the gameplan sits with him and that the Buckeyes have to improve in every phase moving forward. The early concern in Columbus is not just the loss itself, but how it happened, with Ohio State unable to close in the fourth quarter after appearing to have control. For a program built on standards, the margin for error already looks smaller than anyone wanted. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Faces Early Questions After Stunning Poll Drop
The early tone of Ohio States season changed fast in Austin, where a big lead slipped away and turned into a damaging loss for the top-ranked Buckeyes. What looked like a statement win against Texas instead became an opening-week reality check, the kind that can reshape how a team is viewed before September really gets going.
The fallout showed up in the latest Coaches Poll, with Texas climbing and Ohio State sliding five spots as other programs around the country also shuffled up and down the rankings. For the Buckeyes, the larger concern is less about the number beside their name and more about how quickly a game can tilt when an opponent finds momentum, which is exactly what Texas did in the fourth quarter behind Arch Manning. [Read more 🡒]