Despite lofty expectations, Arch Manning far from QB1 in EA College Football rankings

As the release date for EA Sports College Football 27 approaches, the game has slowly but surely released the latest version of its team, stadium, and player rankings.

Earlier today, the ratings and rankings for every quarterback in the country were released, including that of Texas starting QB Arch Manning, who is flying toward his second season as the Longhorns' starter.

As soon as last season ended, and even more so once the 2026 NFL Draft wrapped up, conversations started focusing on the hype and expectations around Manning, once again. As the projected No. 1 overall pick in next year's Draft, many would assume that would automatically make him the top quarterback, if not the top player, in the video game.

However, despite the expectations laid out for Manning's upcoming season with the Horns, he isn't even a top-five quarterback in the rankings.

EA College Football 27 quarterback rankings

1. Dante Moore, Oregon Ducks
2. Julian Sayin, Ohio State Buckeyes
3. Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss Rebels
4. Jayden Maiava, USC Trojans
5. CJ Carr, Notre Dame Fighting Irish
6. Arch Manning, Texas Longhorns
7. Darian Mensah, Miami Hurricanes
8. Sam Leavitt, LSU Tigers
9. Noah Fifita, Arizona Wildcats
10. John Mateer, Oklahoma Sooners

Manning is ranked sixth (yes, 6th) among fellow starting quarterbacks, according to EA Sports College Football 27.

Oregon's Dante Moore leads the charge with a 95 overall player rating, followed by Ohio State's Julian Sayin (94) and Ole Miss's Trinidad Chambliss (93). USC starting quarterback Jayden Maiva and Notre Dame's CJ Carr are tied with a 92 player rating. Then, Manning clocks in with just a 91 overall rating, technically tied with Miami's Darian Mensah, who just transferred to the Canes from Duke.

Simply put, the video game ratings and rankings don't align with what experts expect for Manning throughout the season in the 2027 NFL Draft.

While Manning didn't crack the top five, his expected go-to downfield target, Cam Coleman, most certainly did, ranked third among wide receivers in the video game. However, fellow transfer addition Hollywood Smothers, who is projected as Texas's RB1, didn't even make it into the top 10 of running backs.

According to the ratings, the Longhorns are the fifth-best team in the country, trailing the Oregon Ducks, Ohio State Buckeyes, Indiana Hoosiers, and Notre Dame Fighting Irish, in that order. Texas was rated as the fourth-best offense and the eighth-best defensive unit.

At the end of the day, video game ratings mean absolutely nothing when it comes to the actual on-field and in-game performances for each team. However, it may bring into question how EA Sports is actually ranking these players, and if the video game producer pays any attention to what the rest of the world is saying.

Also read: Minuscule update to Texas football jerseys will have Longhorn fans fearing the worst

Texas and Manning will kick off their 2026 season with a home matchup against the Texas State Bobcats. Then, the Horns will host none other than Sayin and the Buckeyes in a rematch of last year's season-opening loss to Ohio State.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow