I despise all of this childish nonsense the sports media spews about who is #1, who is gonna win the national championship, and who is gonna win the Heisman - especially when it was before any games had been played in the 2025 football season! It's just a narcissistic excuse to hear themselves bloviate. It's one of the reasons why I tend to watch football games with the sound turned off.
Even Oklahoma fans disagreed with this sorry take about Texas QB Arch Manning
http://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/other/even-oklahoma-fans-disagreed-with-this-sorry-take-about-texas-qb-arch-manning/ar-AA1O9TuE?ocid=entnewsntp&;pc=DCTS&cvid=2f1918a8808540e2f8bf22e7be696833&ei=38
By Dekota Gregory
Stormin in Norman
October 9, 2025
Oklahoma fans were some of the loudest voices to criticize all of the preseason hype for Texas quarterback Arch Manning, but even in the midst of Texas Hate Week, there was a take on Manning that even Sooner Nation thought went too far.
Leading up to the Red River Rivalry between OU and Texas on Saturday in Dallas, The Athletic, owned by The New York Times, released a story about Manning’s disappointing season so far with the headline, “Is Arch Manning College Football’s First Flop?” First off, even if Manning does end up being a flop, he certainly wouldn’t be the first.
College football fans unite over viral Arch Manning post
The viral post on X also read, “Many people are having a bad year in college football, but Arch Manning is having one of the worst.” Texas is 3-2 so far this season with Manning as QB1, not winless.
The New York Times (@nytimes) ~ From @TheAthletic: Many people are having a bad year in college football, but Arch Manning is having one of the worst. The quarterback has gone from preseason Heisman Trophy favorite and projected No. 1 NFL Draft pick to a man synonymous with failure.
http://nyti.ms/4q0ie4A
On Saturday, Manning will actually be the best quarterback the Sooners have faced yet in 2025. Manning has passed for 1,115 yards and 11 touchdowns with five interceptions in five games. He also leads the Longhorns with 160 rushing yards and five scores.
No one denies that Manning hasn’t lived up to the expectations set for him, but they were actually impossible to reach. After just two starts last year, Manning was the preseason Heisman Trophy favorite and outlets like The Athletic deemed Manning “the next quarterback star.” Belief in Manning was so preposterous that even he thought it was too much.
Trey Wallace (@TreyWallace_) ~ Arch Manning at SEC Media days, when asked about being on preseason lists, Heisman talk.
“I’m not really sure how they get these opinions because I’ve only played, what, two games. That’s nice of them to say, but that doesn’t mean anything. Talk is cheap, I gotta go prove it.”
Video ~ http://twitter.com/i/status/1975739788302164055
THIS is what I love about this kid. Is he talented? Oh, hell yes. Does he come from a family of football royalty? Absolutely. Does he allow all of that and the silly media hype to go to his head? Oh, hell no ... he is intelligent, well-spoken, humble, with a strong work-ethic, and he fully realizes that English bulldogs are fat, butt-ugly, smelly, disgusting lil' vermin. Okay ... okay ... I may have gratuitously put those last few words in his mouth - BUT, THEY'RE ACCURATE!!!
Regardless, Manning has at the bare minimum already proven he’s a solid QB. And seven career starts is too early to label anyone a flop.
The lowly take that went viral was so poor it united all college football fans, and even had Sooner Nation defending Manning just days before OU faced him.
Chad P. Smith (@ChadPSmith_) ~ I’m as die-hard an OU fan as they come, but this has gone too far. I was one of the first (ask my wife @tierani_kristen) to say a couple years ago he wasn’t some “can’t miss” talent. Also, he didn’t hype himself up. The media did. Don’t blame Arch for not living up to the story you created.
Eddie Radosevich (@Eddie_Rado) ~ I cover Oklahoma and know this is juuuuuuust a tad much. Yikes, NYT.
Travis J Davidson (@TravisSkol) ~ This is so unfair. NYT reeks.
The Oklahoma Breakdown with Ikard and Lehman (@OK_Breakdown) ~ Here's what @TedLehman11 thinks of Arch Manning heading into OU-Texas:
Video ~ http://twitter.com/i/status/1976090236607426894
Amanda Atwell (@AmandaMAtwell) ~ You've gotta write a REALLY bad article to have Longhorns, Sooners, and Aggies coming together in the comments. Author is Will Leitch btw if you didn't care to click beyond the paywall.
Unnecessary Roughness (@UnnecRoughness) ~ This story did the impossible, it united CFB Twitter.
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