The Texas Longhorns have two weeks until their SEC opener against Florida and the last two games have been all about embattled quarterback Arch Manning’s struggles. Sam Houston presents an excellent chance Saturday for the Horns to top 40 points for the first time this season.
The American-Statesman’s Cedric Golden and the Houston Chronicle’s Kirk Bohls tackle Saturday’s 7 p.m. game and this week’s other major storylines in college football.
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Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) is hit by UTEP linebacker Micah Davey (48) during the game at Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Sep. 13, 2025.
Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman
1. Under what scenario should Steve Sarkisian bench Manning if he plays poorly against Sam Houston?
University of Oklahoma Head Coach Brent Venables speaks at his press conference on the second day of Big 12 Media Days in AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, July 13, 2023.
Sara Diggins/American-Statesman
Golden: Does Sarkisian really want to go down as the coach who benched a Manning against Sam Houston? If you thought the preseason hype was overcooked, imagine the national reaction to sidelines shots of Manning on the bench while Matthew Caldwell is playing. Assuming Arch isn’t injured, that scenario does not exist. This is the figure-it-out-no-matter-what game because SEC play is starting Oct. 4 against Florida.
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The Bearkats are ranked in the 130s in the most important passing defense category. If Western Kentucky QB Maverick McIvor — son of former Texas starter Rick McIvor — can light the Kats up for 401 yards and three touchdowns, then surely Manning can get his groove back against the fourth-worst pass defense in the country. Arch will hook up with three different receivers for touchdowns and the Horns will enter the bye week with a 38-0 win.
Bohls: The temptation is to say under zero scenario, but is that realistic? Benching Manning would send shockwaves across the country. ESPN would begin work on a documentary. National talking heads would speculate where Arch will transfer to. All that said, Sarkisian’s allegiance has to be with his entire team. Say Manning throws two picks and Texas leads Sam Houston 7-3 at halftime, Sark should consider giving Caldwell a couple of series or more and contemplate — I said, contemplate — a two-quarterback platoon with both of them. However, I’m expecting a 45-0 Longhorns win although I’m not sure why.
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Head Texas A&M football coach Mike Elko prior to a game against Utah State at Kyle Field on Sept. 6, 2025 in College Station.
Joe Buvid/Getty Images
2. As of late September, is Texas A&M a better team than Texas?
Golden: Absolutely. It’s a team game and Mike Elko’s Aggies are playing better football overall than their archrival. It starts at quarterback where Marcel Reed is playing more consistently than Manning. Sure, the Longhorns have an elite defense and at full strength, a backfield room that’s as deep as any in the country, but after last week’s signature win at Notre Dame, the Aggies are on the ascent while the Horns are a team with an uncertain future because of the quarterback’s confidence problem. A lot can change between now and the end of the season, but as of today I would pick the Aggies over the Longhorns at a neutral site.
Bohls: Absolutely. Trust your eyes. The Aggies won at Notre Dame. The Longhorns have struggled against everybody. Doesn’t mean it’s etched in stone, but A&M is undefeated with a groundswell of momentum like not seen since Johnny Manziel. Someone at A&M should have brought home the folding chair that Elko tossed on the sideline and auction it off. I imagine some Aggie would pay a cool million, which could go to NIL.
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Texas Longhorns receiver Parker Livingston (13) celebrates a touchdown by receiver Ryan Wingo (1) during the game against UTEP at Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Sep. 13, 2025.
Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman
3. What’s your biggest concern about the Longhorns after quarterback?
Golden: That’s an easy one. Texas isn’t getting enough from wideouts not named Parker Livingstone. DeAndre Moore Jr. and Ryan Wingo aren’t holding up their end on the other side. Moore is back after missing the UTEP game while Wingo showed some signs with a touchdown catch late last week. A lot of the subpar production has come because Manning has been surprisingly inaccurate, but Sarkisian has to figure out how to get those players involved with high-percentage passes that can hopefully get the quarterback’s confidence back.
Bohls: It’s still the red zone until it isn’t. Texas ranks a lowly 130th in scoring in the red zone and has managed touchdowns only six times in 13 chances for a dismal 46%. Oregon, conversely, has scored 14 touchdowns in 16 penetrations for an impressive 87.5%, and the Ducks are one of 27 FBS teams to score on 100% of their red zone trips. Let’s see Texas show it can score from close quarters.
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4. Will TCU or SMU make off with the last Iron Skillet?
Golden: I’ll take the Horned Frogs playing at home in what’s arguably the most overlooked quarterback matchup of the weekend. Josh Hoover and Kevin Jennings are going to light up the sky above Amon G. Carter Stadium. The Ponies took a 66-42 win in the 2024 meeting, but this one will be slightly explosive but closer. TCU scores last in a 48-42 thriller.
Bohls: Tough choice, but I think Hoover is a more accomplished than Jennings and should have success against the Mustangs’ 134th-ranked pass defense. The Frogs have the home-field advantage. TCU’s defense gives up 90 fewer yards a game than SMU. I got TCU winning 35-31 even though SMU’s played a tougher schedule.
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5. Are coaches like Dabo Swinney and Brian Kelly being overly sensitive?
Golden: I don’t see either being any different than they have been in the past. Swinney said Clemson fans are “tired of winning,” a jab at them expecting championships every season while Kelly went off on a writer for asking about the offense’s struggles after a 20-10 win over Florida. Neither is known for being the most thick-skinned, but they’re being authentic. It’s who they are. If that means overly sensitive, then so be it.
Bohls: Uh, does a cat meow? These two need to meditate more, maybe light some candles and watch “The Notebook.” Ease up, fellows. Both are paid an extraordinary sum of money — Swinney at $11.3 million a year and Kelly at $9.4 million — to coach football and need to lighten up.
6. Will Texas Tech get past Utah on the road?
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Golden: I picked the Utes to win the Big 12, so losing a game to the Red Raiders at home wouldn’t fit the narrative; I’m taking the home team by a 34-28 score. Tech quarterback Behren Morton has NFL scouts salivating, but I don’t see the defense holding up long enough for the Red Raiders to pull the upset.
Bohls: I’m going to say no, but without conviction. Before last season’s 5-7 disaster, the Utes had gone 19-1 at home. Kyle Whittingham (170-86) is one of the best coaches in the game who has six of the school’s nine 10-win seasons. Utah has a couple of elite offensive tackles in Spencer Fano and Caleb Lomu and a new quarterback in New Mexico transfer Devon Dampier who’s thrown seven touchdown passes without an interception. Utes win it 28-24.
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7. Rank your top five teams in the state.
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Golden: Texas A&M has the top spot after that humongous road win over Notre Dame. Texas is No. 2, but the Longhorns need to show us something against Sam Houston. Texas Tech is third, but with all due respect to coach Joey McGuire, these rankings don’t run through Lubbock. Baylor is gaining traction in fourth with TCU my fifth.
Bohls: Take a bow, Aggies. You’re No. 1. After A&M comes the Texas defense, hten TCU, Texas Tech and Baylor. SMU can shake this up in a big way Saturday.
8. Will the winner of Illinois-Indiana contend for the Big Ten title?
Golden: It depends on what you mean by “contend.” I’m taking the Illini by four points, which will give them a leg up between the two, but I don’t see either team making it to the title game in Indianapolis. Regardless of who wins, I place both behind Ohio State, Penn State and Oregon.
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Bohls: It will not. I’ve got the Hoosiers on Saturday and both will have shots at the College Football Playoff, but they’re still behind Ohio State, Oregon and Penn State. And maybe Michigan.
July 16, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables arrives for SEC Media Days at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta.
Gary Cosby Jr./Tuscaloosa News
9. What top 15 team is the nation sleeping on?
Golden: It would be a mistake to snooze on the resurgent Oklahoma Sooners due in large part to Brent Venables’ acquisition of former Washington State quarterback John Mateer, who leads the SEC in passing yards per game (314.7). Better yet, the No. 11 Sooners have risen from sixth among SEC defenses last season to tops in 2025.
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Bohls: I’ll say No. 14 Alabama. The Crimson Tide have rebounded strongly, which is bad news for the rest of the SEC. Ty Simpson looks very comfortable as a passer and Ryan Williams is the best receiver in the country, not Jeremiah Smith.
10. Pick your weekly upset.
Golden: Give me Nebraska and Patrick Mahomes’ “little brother” Dylan Raiola over Michigan. The haircut is different, but the arm talent is pretty good. The Children of the Corn take a 24-20 win.
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Bohls: This Tulane-Ole Miss game is tantalizing. Sure, the Rebels are 2-0 in SEC play already with one-score wins over Kentucky and Arkansas and average 45 points and 542 yards. But the Green Wave have the top dual-threat man in former BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff (six rushing touchdowns) and an opportunistic defense that has eight takeaways. Tulane has lost 13 straight to Lane Kiffin’s bunch, but takes down No. 13 Ole Miss 31-28.