Arch Manning is about to get the kind of stage quarterbacks dream about and skeptics love to circle. Saturday night in Austin, with ESPN’s College GameDay on hand and a prime-time audience of perhaps 20 million watching, Texas’ starting quarterback gets his shot to answer the biggest question hanging over him: is he an elite QB?
No. 1 Ohio State is the backdrop, and the spotlight is not subtle.
Manning already flashed what that level can look like during his first season as Texas’ full-time starter. There was the third quarter of a 23-6 win against then-No. 6 Oklahoma, when he went 10-of-12 passing and Texas controlled the ball for 13:26 while OU had it for just 1:34.
He also put together a sharp day in a 34-31 win over then-No. 9 Vanderbilt, throwing for 328 yards, three TDs and zero turnovers.
Then came the second half against then-No. 3 Texas A&M, when he completed 6-of-8 passes for 119 yards and a touchdown and added a 35-yard TD run in a 27-17 win.
And in the Citrus Bowl victory over then-No. 18 Michigan, Manning threw two touchdowns and ran for 155 yards, including TD runs of 60 and 23 yards.
Still, by the time those moments stacked up, plenty of the college football world had already moved on from Manning and Texas after losses to Ohio State and at Florida. Saturday gives him another chance to force everybody back in.
In Other News...
Texas Made Its Week 1 Statement But One Poll Question Remains
Texas opened the season with the kind of performance that tends to stick with voters, and in a crowded Week 1 landscape that mattered just as much as the win itself. Across the AP Top 25, several of the teams sitting near the top handled business in varying fashion, with Ohio State and Georgia among the other major names under review as the first rankings of the fall start to settle into place.
For Texas, the larger question is not whether the Longhorns made an early statement, but how much that statement will move them when the new poll comes out. Week 1 was full of small shifts rather than seismic ones, even as Michigan escaped with a controversial Hail Mary finish and other ranked teams offered enough evidence to nudge the order a little in either direction. [Read more 🡒]
Notre Dames Early ESPN Ranking Says Plenty After Week 1
Arch Mannings debut in 2026 was enough to keep Texas perched at the top of ESPNs updated FPI Top 25 after Week 1, a ranking that reflects how convincing the Longhorns looked in their win over Texas State. Manning threw for 305 yards and four touchdowns, and the early polling from ESPNs system put Texas ahead of an opening-week field that also includes Ohio State, Notre Dame, Miami and Georgia near the top.
Ohio State settled in at No. 2 after handling Ball State, which only adds a little more intrigue to what comes next for Texas. The Longhorns have already done the part that mattered most in Week 1, but the bigger measuring-stick game is sitting right ahead, and thats where the No. 1 label will either start to feel earned or get tested in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Suddenly Have A Derrek Cooper Problem They Didn't Expect
Texas had been getting encouraging early signs from freshman running back Derrek Cooper, whose burst and versatility gave the backfield another young option to track. Now, after an ankle injury suffered against Texas State, the Longhorns have a new concern on their hands, and it comes at a time when every healthy piece in the run game matters. Head coach Steve Sarkisian confirmed the injury and said the team will keep monitoring Coopers condition.
Cooper is expected to wear a protective boot on his right leg for the foreseeable future, a sign that this is more than a short-lived bump in the road. For a freshman who had started to build momentum as a contributor, the immediate question is how long Texas will have to manage without him and how the staff reshuffles the depth chart in the meantime. [Read more 🡒]