Arch Manning will get his first start as the legitimate starter following the Quinn Ewers era against the Ohio State Buckeyes. It's a huge matchup between two genuine title contenders and a rematch of last year's semifinal, where a strip sack by Jack Sawyer on Ewers led to a score that sealed the game and sent OSU to the national championship.
In the world of recruiting and NIL, there's always a possibility that some player might've ended up on a different team. Is there any world where it's Ohio State that has Manning under center in Week 1 against Texas? According to head coach Ryan Day, not really.
Day said, "[I interacted with him] very little. I think [the Mannings] had their minds set up that they wanted to play down south. A little bit here and there, for sure, with his dad, Cooper, but not a whole bunch. He kind of had his mind set."
Manning had offers from Alabama, Texas, Georgia, and Virginia, but he ultimately went with Texas, where he's sat on the bench for most of the last two years. Now, it's his time, and he's matched up with a team he could've played for had he wanted to, but he had other plans for his career.