Before the start of the 2025 college football season, Arch Manning and Texas were the favorites of the sportsbooks. Manning was the odds-on front-runner to take home this year’s Heisman trophy. And the Longhorns were equally favored to collect the national championship. How things have changed in a month.
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Neither Texas nor its quarterback is even remotely valued at where they used to be. It has been Carson Beck and the Miami Hurricanes who have proven to be the favorites in terms of actual play so far.
Following his departure from Georgia and the way in which it was handled, many had given up on Beck. His resurgence in the ACC has got him listed as the second biggest Heisman favorite, just behind Oregon’s Dante Moore. And there is a valid statistical justification for this elevation.
Right now, Beck has the third-best completion percentage and fourth-highest touchdown total in the conference, and his passer rating is the 11th best in the nation among signal callers with 130+ pass attempts. In the first five weeks, Beck has outdone Manning in passing attempts, completions, and yards. His QBR of 84.4 is better than Manning’s score of 59.9, and the same is true when it comes to passer ratings as well.
Not only is Beck beginning to take Manning’s place as the title favorite, but he’s also beginning to rival him in terms of NIL dealings. According to On3, Beck is now the second-wealthiest player in all of college sports. Manning is still in control of the number one spot with a grand total of $5 million in NIL valuations. But Beck is right behind him with a total of $4.9 million.
Thanks to a career year from Beck, the Hurricanes are currently holding the second overall spot in the national rankings. Manning and the rest of his herd are now simply content with proving that they have something to build upon for next season.
The latest member of football’s royal family ranks just 46th overall in passer rating, and his 1,151 passing yards are only good for the 66th highest total in the nation. Simply put, where Miami has been a pleasant surprise, the Longhorns have been nothing more than the latest example of false advertising.
Given the sheer amount of money that’s become involved in college football in recent years, Texas donors may be experiencing a bit of remorse right now.
Of course, there’s always next year, but when it comes to Beck and Miami, this season seems as good as any to commit to winning a national championship. The roles of these two programs have completely flipped within the span of a month, and now, it’s time to start giving the ACC the due recognition that it deserves.
