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CFB pundit already spouting excuses if Ohio State football shuts down Arch Manning

After he has hyped him up to be a generational prospect, one CFP pundit is already building in excuses if Manning gets pounded by the Buckeyes.
ByRyan Stano|
Jan 10, 2025; Arlington, TX, USA; Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) carries the ball for a first down in the second quarter as the Texas Longhorns play the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Cotton Bowl College Football Playoff semi-final at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas. Mandatory Credit: Sara Diggins/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images
Jan 10, 2025; Arlington, TX, USA; Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) carries the ball for a first down in the second quarter as the Texas Longhorns play the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Cotton Bowl College Football Playoff semi-final at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas. Mandatory Credit: Sara Diggins/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images | Sara Diggins-USAT Today Network via Imagn Images

The Ohio State football program is getting ready to take on Texas in what will be the first epic showdown of the 2025 college football season. Everyone is already loving what Arch Manning can do before he's even started a game against a top-25 team.

Manning was touted as a generational prospect, and he might be really good at some point. But his first game on the road against a top-25 opponent is against the Ohio State Buckeyes, in what will be by far the best team he's faced. He took a couple of snaps in the Cotton Bowl and was almost broken.

Multiple CFB pundits have talked about the fact that Manning is going to be a big reason why the Longhorns will win the game on Saturday afternoon. Yet, one pundit is already building in excuses if Manning gets shut down by the Buckeyes, two days before the game is played,

CFP pundit builds in excuses if the Ohio State football team takes down Texas

J.D. PicKell of ON3 has been building up Manning all offseason. Yet, he has already started building ixcuses for him if he ends up struggling in the Shoe. He even claims that Manning can still win the Heisman Trophy, all before seeing how he deals with a great defense.

"If Arch Manning doesn't look amazing, you're going to hear things like, 'Well, is it just his last name? Well, I told ya'll, all hype! I told ya'll, he was just three-stars coming out of high school, and they gave him five stars because of that last name, because of his uncles.'...What you are in Week 1 is a starting point, not a definition of who you are."

The Buckeyes are one of the best teams in the country for a reason. They will be doing things that Manning has never seen before. He is going to have his head swimming in the pocket, but PicKell believes it's not because he's overhyped or bad. That might not be true.

Regardless, the Buckeyes are coming in with no excuses of their own. They are the defending national champions, so they feel as though they should be able to win this game, especially since they have home-field advantage. Manning has to deal with one of the best rosters in the country.

While a lot of experts are picking Texas, Ohio State is very confident that they will win this game.

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