Texas quarterback Arch Manning said he has come to enjoy being underestimated, after the Longhorns survived a back-and-forth game against No. 7 Ole Miss on Saturday night in Austin. The win put Texas back into the College Football Playoff conversation, and Manning admitted the constant talk around him has become a cycle he is learning to live with.
"I've been hyped up all my life, the preseason and all this stuff," Manning said after the victory. "I think I kind of like being disregarded kind of now." The remark came after a week in which Texas coach Steve Sarkisian had suggested that the outside commentary surrounding Manning had helped create a heightened expectation around his play. The Longhorns' victory came against an Ole Miss team coming off a bye week, and it was a result that carried weight in a season defined by volatility.
The weekend's results rippled well beyond Austin. No. 2 BYU lost to UCF in double overtime after a chaotic finish in regulation, one week after defeating Notre Dame. The Cougars' defeat followed a result that had already shaken the rankings, and it left the Big 12 in a turbulent position. Texas Tech also lost on the road to unranked Cincinnati, a result that drew attention given the program's expensive roster, which is partially funded by mega-booster Cody Campbell. The Red Raiders' performance raised questions about a team many expected to contend.
Elsewhere, both No. 15 Iowa and No. 16 USC lost in Big Ten play, and Oregon suffered its third defeat of the season after a poor performance against Illinois. Michigan needed overtime to beat Indiana at the Big House. Taken together, the results reflected a level of parity across the sport that has made it difficult to predict outcomes with confidence this season.
In South Carolina, the Gamecocks rallied in the fourth quarter to beat Tennessee, a result that added the Volunteers to the list of teams carrying two losses. Quarterback LaNorris Sellers and defensive end Dylan Stewart were central to the late push, and coach Shane Beamer addressed lingering online speculation about a 2022 meeting with Tennessee that was tied to sign-stealing allegations involving Connor Stallions. Beamer's comments came as the Gamecocks followed a dominant performance against Alabama the previous week, when the No. 11 team had been expected to produce a steadier finish.
Every SEC team besides Georgia and Kentucky now has two losses, according to the standings described in the coverage, leaving the conference's title-game picture unsettled. Texas and Ole Miss remain in contention, but the margins are narrow. For Texas, the victory offered a statement result, even as questions persist about why the offense has at times struggled to sustain production across four quarters. For Arch Manning, the weekend underscored a larger reality of his early career: the attention around him is unlikely to fade, and his response so far has been to embrace the skepticism rather than resist it.