David Pollack didn’t need long to draw a line between the SEC quarterbacks he trusts and the one he doesn’t.
The former Georgia star, now a veteran college football analyst, pointed to Bulldogs quarterback Gunnar Stockton as the passer he’d put his faith in. Pollack said Stockton’s rough outing against Auburn was the exception, not the rule.
“This year, with that squad-- he had a bad game there's no doubt... but I trust him to take care of the football. That [performance against Auburn] was more of an anomaly to me than anything.”
That trust has been built on efficiency and ball security. Stockton entered the Auburn game with just two interceptions on 124 passing attempts, then matched that total in the loss and also coughed up a costly late fumble that helped Auburn set up the winning drive.
Even with that setback, Stockton still sits at the top of the SEC in quarterback rating. He’s completing more than 74% of his passes, averaging 9.9 yards per attempt, and his 16 touchdown throws trail only Kamario Taylor’s 17 in the conference.
Stockton’s overall production has backed up the numbers. In 2025, he threw for 2,894 yards and 24 touchdowns while tossing only five interceptions. And despite Georgia’s loss last week, Pollack’s view of the Bulldogs remains unchanged: under Stockton, they’re likely to get back to the College Football Playoff.
Pollack had a very different answer when the conversation turned to Texas quarterback Arch Manning.
“There's no world, there's no situation, there's nothing period that you can sell me... that I would buy Arch Manning,” said Pollack, “I'm assuming the value is as low as it's going to get. Just remember, we were talking about Heisman Trophy for Arch Manning, so the fact that we're sitting here and now we're discussing whether he should be benched, I'm not sure it can go any lower.”
Manning is in his second full season as Texas’ starter, and the results have not matched the hype. He is ninth among 15 qualifying SEC quarterbacks in QB rating, ranks 12th in the league with 1,295 passing yards, and his 11 touchdown passes place him ninth.
The problem goes beyond the box score. Manning has only topped 300 passing yards once this season, and that came in the opener against Texas State. His 7.8 yards per attempt doesn’t jump off the page, and over his last three games he has thrown three interceptions against four touchdowns.
In Other News...
Texas Tech Has A Stake In The Big 12's Next Decision
Cincinnatis upset win over Texas Tech on Saturday did more than shake up the Big 12 race. It also set off a conference review after fans stormed the Nippert Stadium field, putting the Bearcats in line for a possible $50,000 fine under the leagues field-storming policy. The Big 12 is now examining whether the appropriate security measures were in place and whether a safe path was provided for the visiting team and officials.
For Texas Tech, the interest goes beyond the loss itself, because the leagues next decision will help define how these postgame scenes are handled moving forward. The Big 12 typically reaches a ruling within days of incidents like this, so Cincinnatis situation should be settled soon, with the conference weighing both the celebration and the safety issues that came with it. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Techs QB Problem Just Changed The Big 12 Picture
Texas Techs trip to Cincinnati turned into more than just a lopsided 37-18 loss. It exposed how fragile the Red Raiders can look when the offense stalls inside the red zone and the ground game, on both sides of the ball, starts slipping away. Will Hammond threw for 227 yards, but the one interception and one fumble were part of a messy night for an offense that never found enough rhythm to keep pace.
On the other side, the Bearcats controlled the line of scrimmage in a way that changed the feel of the game and, by extension, the Big 12 conversation around Texas Tech. Cincinnati piled up 257 rushing yards, with Cole Tabb doing most of the damage, and the Red Raiders spent too much of the night chasing answers after Brendan Sorsby was unavailable because of eligibility issues tied to gambling allegations. For Texas Tech, the loss was frustrating enough on its own, but the bigger concern is what it says about how quickly the margin can disappear when the quarterback situation turns uncertain. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Tech Faces Its First Real Road Test At Cincinnati
No. 8 Texas Tech heads to Nippert Stadium for what figures to be its first true road test of the season, and the matchup brings a familiar sort of Big 12 stress. Joey McGuire and defensive coordinator Shiel Wood spent part of the buildup circling Cincinnatis running game, while also keeping an eye on quarterback JC French IV and the ways the Bearcats try to make a defense stay honest. For a Red Raiders team that has looked sharp and physical, this is the kind of game that starts to reveal how much of that success travels.
Texas Techs defense has been one of the early talking points around the program, and recent individual performances have only added to the optimism. But road games have a way of testing discipline as much as talent, especially in a venue like Nippert where the noise and tempo can change the feel of a game quickly. The broadcast will be easy to find, but the bigger question is whether the Red Raiders can take their defensive confidence on the road and handle a Cincinnati team built to make opponents work for every stop. [Read more 🡒]