As of July 1st, the Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners are officially members of the Southeastern Conference.
With conference realignment in full effect and the introduction of the 12-team Playoff, this year of college football will be unlike anything we have ever seen. However, the changes for the sport are for the best with regular season matchups like the Georgia Bulldogs traveling to Austin to take on the Longhorns or the Oregon Ducks flying out East to take on the Ohio State Buckeyes.
The changes coming make the sport almost impossible to predict, but I suppose that is what makes college football the best sport on earth.
Andy Staples of On3 makes 10 bold predictions ahead of the 2024 season including five teams from the SEC getting into the 12-team Playoff. However, his most interesting take was that he projects the Longhorns’ backup QB Arch Manning to start at least one game in 2024 saying,
“This is one I would prefer not to come true, and I don’t want anything to think I’m wishing ill on Texas starter Quinn Ewers. But the fact is Ewers missed three starts to injury in 2022 and two starts to injury in 2023. It’s also true that for a team to have the season Texas wants to have in 2024, that team would have to play 16 or 17 games.
Every playoff contender needs to be cognizant of its backup quarterback situation, and Texas probably is among the most comfortable with the idea of its backup coming in and winning games. Arch Manning looked quite grown-up when we saw him in the spring game, and coach Steve Sarkisian seems confident in Manning should he be needed.
Texas survived Kansas State by the skin of its teeth with Maalik Murphy starting last season. The Longhorns lost to Texas Tech with Hudson Card starting in place of Ewers in 2022. If something happened this season, Manning should be capable of keeping the offense humming until Ewers’ healthy return.”
QB Quinn Ewers is a third-year starter receiving first-round NFL draft projections, so it’s hard to imagine he loses his job, but Staples’ point about staying healthy for a 16 or 17-game season is something to think about.
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