College football Week 2 predictions: Best bets, picks against the spread for all 14 marquee games

This was the plan all along. His grandfather, Archie, spent one season on the bench before becoming a legend at Ole Miss.His uncle, Peyton, was third-string at Tennessee before injuries thrust him into action and on the path to claiming a record-setting five NFL MVPs.

His other uncle, Eli, wasn’t the starter until his third season in Oxford, en route to two Super Bowl MVPs. Arch Manning could afford to be patient.He didn’t need the money or the spotlight.

He could carve his own path at Texas, arriving as one of the most-hyped prospects of all time, but knowing he would see few snaps, playing behind another former top-ranked recruit (Quinn Ewers). In 2023, Manning threw five passes in his first season.He made two starts in Year 2.

Then came the reminder of why the family was in no rush to throw him to the wolves. Last year, the preseason Heisman favorite led top-ranked Texas into Ohio State for the season opener, then left with a 14-7 loss, in which the Longhorns didn’t score for the first 56 minutes and went 1-for-5 on fourth down, including a failed Manning sneak on the Ohio State 1-yard line. Manning threw five interceptions in his first five games of the season.In the first four games against power conference opponents, he averaged one touchdown pass and 183 yards passing per game, with a 58.4 completion percentage.

In the final six games, Manning averaged 2.3 touchdown passes and 286 yards passing, with a 62.3 completion percentage. On Saturday, Manning can finally step up to a pedestal that seemed predestined, when Texas hosts top-ranked Ohio State.Unlike last year, the star quarterback has the help of the top-ranked receiver in the transfer portal (Cam Coleman), a rebuilt running back room — featuring a pair of power conference transfers (Hollywood Smothers, Raleek Brown) who combined to average more than 6 yards per carry last season — and one of the most talented defensive units, now led by an elite coordinator (Will Muschamp). Texas (-...