It took the half, and more specifically the fourth quarter, of a lifetime from Texas quarterback Arch Manning to push the Longhorns to a win over the Ohio State Buckeyes, and that's exactly what he delivered.
"I couldn't lose to them again. I had nightmares about that game last year," Manning said after the game.
Well, this year, he woke up in the second half, and those nightmares faded into the background, and that second-half performance silenced a lot of doubters who were starting to reemerge after the first half.
After leading Texas to the comeback victory with 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter, Manning surged back to the front of many people's minds as one of the greatest college football players currently throwing the rock.
Oddsmakers and the SEC alike have confidence in Arch Manning
Not only did Manning return to many Heisman Trophy frontrunner lists, including the latest one from On3 and Rivals, but he earned quite a bit of praise from the SEC as well.
Manning was named as the conference's Offensive Player of the Week after earning 195 passing yards and one touchdown (we're not talking about the fluke interception for now) through the air, and 24 more yards on the ground.
What a performance by QB1🔥 pic.twitter.com/HbC4fXZ6vC
— Texas Football (@TexasFootball) September 14, 2026
Despite also leading his team to victory in Week 1, he dropped off many Heisman ballots because of a few sloppy plays to end the first half, including an interception thrown in the end zone. However, after his Week 2 performance against the then-No. 1 team in the country, oddsmakers were looking in his direction again.
According to FanDuel Sportsbook, Manning is currently the third-favorite to bring home the Heisman Trophy, with +750 odds, only trailing Miami's Darian Mensah (+480) and Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith (+700).
Odds are courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook. Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.
Yes, there is a long way to go, and no, maybe we don't want this amount of hype around Manning because look at how it unfolded at the start of last season, but there is a certain allure to having everyone in your corner.
Not to mention that Manning wasn't the only Longhorn on the SEC's radar this week, with left tackle Trevor Goosby named as the conference's offensive lineman of the week for his incredible performance.
Goosby, who was one of the most highly touted offensive linemen all offseason, lined up for 46 passing plays and allowed just one (1) pressure the entire time. That means he allowed pressure on less than 2.2% of Manning's dropbacks. That's incredible.
As the year progresses, these awards and honors (and the odds surrounding them) will fluctuate, but the Longhorns and their leaders are undeniably trending in the right direction, and this was only the second week of the season.
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