Fans and analysts had massive expectations from Arch Manning, who had been preparing to be Texas’s QB1 for two years. While some expected him to be the top Heisman Trophy candidate, No.1 NFL draft pick in 2026, the others expected him to lead the Longhorns to a national championship in 2025.
However, Manning’s debut has not been ideal. While people expected him to struggle a little bit against the defending champs Ohio State in week 1, the next few games gave fans more reasons to question the Texas QB’s capabilities.
One of those concerning games was the week 3 game against UTEP, when the Longhorns just won with the overall record of 27-10, whereas they were expected to win with a bigger margin.
Talking about the team’s upside and weak points, Joel Klatt said:
“Defense is still in the top five in the country,” Klatt said. “I feel like I know that the defense is going to be just fine. Now, the question is what Arch are we going to get from week to week because there have been some drastic inconsistencies with the way he’s played. Obviously, it’s a great sign moving forward if he’s able to play the level of football that he did last weekend.” (2:57)
Paul Finebaum On Arch Manning and Texas’ Playoffs Hopes
Paul Finebaum was among Arch Manning’s biggest fan throughout the offseason, as he expressed his support for the Texas star and also compared him to college football legends like Tim Tebow and projecting him to be among the most dynamic players we’ve seen in a decade.
After Arch Manning showcased some struggle on the field, Finebaum admitted he may have hyped him up a little too much but that doesn’t affect his playoffs prediction for Steve Sarkisian’s crew.
“Everybody wants to write Arch Manning and Texas off, but they still just have one loss. I think they’re going to come back,” Finebaum said Tuesday afternoon on ESPN. “And, Matt, call me crazy, I know you have many times … but they are still going to make the College Football Playoff. I know they started the season at No. 1 in the country, but they’ve fallen dramatically since then.”
Texas is set to face Billy Napier’s Florida on Oct. 4, 2025 at the Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. They are currently ninth in the SEC standings with three wins and a loss.
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