‘Fear Arch Manning’ 👀 USC a CFP sleeper, can Indiana repeat as National Champions, Notre Dame | FTF
FOX Sports CFB analyst RJ Young joins First Things First to discuss his 138 CFB rankings, along with Indiana’s odds of repeating as National Champions. He then breaks down what is stopping Notre Dame from winning it all, along with the Big Ten’s new rule regarding players returning to CFB from the NFL. RJ then explains why Arch Manning will live up to the hype, along with how the 2026 season will be the most competitive year in CFB history. He also unveils his dark horse National Championship Winner. (00:00) Intro
(00:26) RJ’s 138 CFB Rankings
(01:29) Indiana Going Back-to-Back?
(02:34) Notre Dame’s Limitations
(03:50) Big Ten’s New Rule
(06:40) Will Arch Live Up to Hype?
(08:00) Most Competitive CFB Season Ever?
(10:44) Dark Horse National Championship Winner
Through the first three weeks of the college football season, the Miami Hurricanes have been the toast of the town.
More specifically, though, their quarterback, Darian Mensah, has been an absolute revelation for them.
During Friday night’s game against Wake Forest, Mensah set an ACC record with 24 straight completions and has been hovering above the 90% mark in that category for most of the season.
Worth every penny of that reported $6 million contract, eh?
Darian Mensah, No. 10, of the Miami (FL) Hurricanes passes the ball against the Stanford Cardinal in the first half at Stanford Stadium in Stanford, Calif., on Sept. 4, 2026. (Getty Images)
With the kind of numbers Mensah has been putting up — and likely will continue to put up — the Hurricanes are almost a lock to make the College Football Playoff and, by extension, their signal caller will almost certainly be invited to New York City as a Heisman finalist.
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But will Mensah and the Canes be victims of a Charmin soft schedule?
To be fair to Miami, they don’t make their conference schedule, and they do have to play Notre Dame in early November, but their 2026 slate, by and large, is a bit of a joke.
They’ve done everything in their power to bludgeon the teams in front of them, hanging 77 points on FAMU just a week earlier, but while some of their contemporaries will face a murderer’s row this season, Miami likely won’t face a ranked team until that aforementioned meeting with the Fighting Irish.
The ACC features three teams ranked in the AP Top-25 as of week three, Louisville Virginia, and SMU, and the Hurricanes will avoid playing all three in the regular season.
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Again, that isn’t their fault, and a lot could change in the coming weeks, but it won’t help the case of their talented quarterback when it comes time for award season.
Miami’s case for making the College Football Playoff is secure, given its high ranking to start the season and the fact that the Hurricanes just need to win the ACC title to get an automatic bid.
Miami Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal reacts after a touchdown against the Pittsburgh Panthers during the third quarter at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on Nov. 29, 2025. (Charles LeClaire/Imagn Images)
Mensah, on the other hand, could very well get dinged for facing lesser competition.
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The numbers he’s putting up may end up being too good to ignore, but he will likely have to be virtually perfect for an entire season to overcome the accusations of an easy schedule.
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There are a gaggle of teams on Miami’s slate that are currently undefeated, and if they keep up the good play, it could go a long way in helping strengthen the Hurricanes’ metrics at the end of the season.
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Miami fans should be pulling for a team like Pitt to continue its impressive start to the year, because it could mean the difference between Mensah hoisting a bronze statue or clapping as someone else does.
I can’t say for sure if it will matter one way or another, I mean for God’s sake, the kid has more touchdowns on the season (11) than he does incompletions (eight).
Regardless, Canes fans should just be happy to have these kinds of problems.
Mohamed Toure of the Miami Hurricanes reacts against the Ohio State Buckeyes during the second half of the College Football Playoff Quarter Final Game at AT&T Stadium on Dec. 31, 2025 in Arlington, Texas. (CFP/Getty Images)
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It wasn’t too long ago the Hurricanes were fighting to make a bowl game during the first few years of the Mario Cristobal era.
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Oh, how times have changed!