College Football is very close to the finish line of the regular season. There are just a few weeks remaining, and then the Conference Championship games. The season has flown by, and it has been a wild one. It seems like every single week we have a new team at the top of the charts for the Top 25 ranking. Even if the #1 seed doesn’t get rearranged, it doesn’t seem like anyone is truly locked into their spot. Two teams that are still figuring it out are taking each other on tonight as Texas takes on LSU.
Texas is 7-2 for the season and has been one of the more annoying teams in football this season. This is a team that really can’t be given extra excuses. The Longhorns don’t really have any glaring weaknesses on paper, but for some reason the team just can’t get it together. Maybe it is nerves, maybe it is a tough schedule; I really don’t know what the issue is. Either way, this team has the potential to win the National Championship, but I also wouldn’t be shocked if the Longhorns missed the College Football Playoffs altogether.
Texas quarterback Arch Manning, left, scrambles out of the pocket against Mississippi State linebacker Derion Gullette, front right, during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Starkville, Mississippi, Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/James Pugh)
Arch Manning came into the year with buzz that he would be the top pick for the NFL Draft this summer. Manning has been average at best this season. His numbers aren’t terrible. He has completed about 66% of his passes this season for just more than 2,000 yards. He has 18 touchdowns and seven interceptions, but there are more passes that feel like they should’ve been picked off. In the Longhorns’ four games against ranked opponents, Manning is 83-for-124 for 905 yards with five touchdown passes and five interceptions.
I’m not really sure what to make of LSU this year. The Tigers are 6-3 for the season, their first under Lane Kiffin. Kiffin came into a solid roster, but I think the Tigers will need to have his recruiting take root before we fully assess this move. Unfortunately, that means we have to wait and see how the team performs over the next few years to judge his impact on the team. The Tigers still have an outside shot at making the Playoffs, but if they lose today, that hope is completely gone.
LSU Tigers quarterback Sam Leavitt scrambles against Clemson Tigers during the second half at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, La., on Sept. 5, 2026. (IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)
The team is led by Sam Leavitt under center. He has put together a decent year, but it feels like if you traded him and Arch Manning, neither team would be that much better or worse. Leavitt is completing 71% of passes for roughly 2,500 yards. He has also thrown 17 touchdowns and nine interceptions this year. Most of his success has come when targeting Jackson Harris, who has 800 receiving yards and seven touchdowns.
THE CRAIG CARTON SHOW–UNFILTERED, UNAPOLOGETIC AND UNMISSABLE. DOWNLOAD HIS DAILY PODCAST NOW!
LANE KIFFIN IS ALREADY GETTING HIS EXCUSES READY FOR LSU’S DISAPPOINTING REGULAR SEASON
Texas quarterback Arch Manning (16) is hit by Sam Houston State linebacker Antavious Fish (6) as he runs for a touchdown during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Austin, Texas, Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
This should be one of the best games on the schedule. The loser is likely out of the College Football Playoffs. I don’t know how you can justify putting Texas in after losing to Florida and Oklahoma. I know their wins have been good, but that victory over Ohio State actually looks worse than before. LSU has lost to Ole Miss, Kentucky, and Alabama. Both teams have had plenty of challenges, and LSU is a tough place to play, but I think the line has gotten out of hand. Texas is now a +3.5 dog, and that just feels like it is too high. I really don’t think the Longhorns will lose this game, but I’ve bet, and lost, too much on them this season. I think this game goes over the total of 46.5. It opened at 54.5 and has dropped significantly, but now I think it has adjusted too much. Give me the over.
SIGN UP FOR THE DAILY OUTKICK NEWSLETTER
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
For more sports betting information and plays, follow David on X/Twitter: @futureprez2024