Three opening-week games pit top-10 teams against each other, marking the most top-10 matchups for an opening week in college football history. Arch Manning, a 21-year-old scion of a famous quarterback family, has assumed the Texas starting quarterback role and is the preseason Heisman favorite despite limited collegiate passing experience. Manning spent two years as a backup while Texas transitioned from the Big 12 to the SEC and now faces immediate pressure with a rematch against defending champion Ohio State. Viewer access may be affected by ongoing contract disputes between TV providers and Fox.
Never has a college football season opened with such high stakes: Three of this weekend's games feature a matchup between two top-10 opponents, the most for an opening week in the sport's history. There's plenty to look forward to this year including the most-hyped player of a generation taking the helm at one of the sport's most historic programs so long as you're lucky enough that your TV provider isn't in a contract dispute with Fox.
The madness officially began last month, when the headliner at the SEC Football Media Days took the stage: a 6-foot, 4-inch 21-year-old dressed in a crisp navy blue sport coat, complete with a polished Texas Longhorn pin. The progeny of football's most famous quarterback family, Manning is currently the favorite to win this year's Heisman Trophy and is already being talked about as a future No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft despite having thrown fewer than 100 passes in his collegiate career to date.
Manning dutifully rode the bench for his first two years at Texas, as the school made the jump from the Big 12 to the SEC behind then-starting quarterback Quinn Ewers. Now, Manning is the undisputed starter, and so far he's played the part to a tee, saying all the right things to the media. "I have really good friends, good family to keep me grounded, keep me honest," he said. "Whenever I'm acting like a turd, they tell me." The expectations, though, are title or bust for the Longhorns.
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