Weekly Syllabus: Arch Manning’s hot seat, a Big 12 showcase and more

What does college football have in store for an encore?

We’re still catching our breath after an epic Week 7, but the circus doesn’t stop.

Below, the latest Weekly Syllabus takes a look at what’s in store for the week ahead, including a potential last stand for Texas and another major Big 12 showcase. Plus, college basketball returns soon, and we examine the recently named preseason No. 1 plus a top-10 exhibition game between teams that have made the Elite Eight in each of the past three seasons.

Coming off back-to-back losses, the stakes couldn’t be higher for the second-year Texas starting quarterback heading into a massive home showdown against Ole Miss (5-1, 3-1 in SEC).

Not only is Texas (4-2, 1-2 in SEC) potentially a loss away from being eliminated from College Football Playoff contention, but Manning’s starting job may also be on the line.

After head coach Steve Sarkisian told reporters that he’s consider changes following last Saturday’s loss to Florida, ESPN’s Pete Thamel shared on Monday that redshirt freshman quarterback KJ Lacey Jr. will begin taking more first-team reps in the event that Manning, who has three fourth-quarter turnovers over the past two games, continues to struggle.

In a Monday news conference, Sarkisian backed Manning has his QB1 while adding, “I need a better version of Arch Manning.”

With potential Heisman Trophy finalist Trinidad Chambliss standing on the other sideline, those words have never rang more true. If Manning fails to deliver, Sarkisian may have to put the ball in his backup’s hands.

Houston (6-1, 3-1 in Big 12) can earn a second consecutive quality win on Saturday when it travels to Utah (6-0, 3-0 in Big 12), which is coming off an upset scare from Colorado.

The Cougars have won four in a row, including last Saturday to the Oklahoma State Cowboys (4-2, 2-1 in Big 12), after losing by two, 28-26, earlier this season to No. 8 Texas Tech (6-0, 3-0 in Big 12). Houston fifth-year senior quarterback Connor Weigman has been on fire lately, completing 68.5 percent of his passes with nine touchdowns and one interception over his past two games. This season, he has a Big-12 high 20 touchdowns and only two interceptions.

Utah’s defense, allowing 14.8 points per game, represents Houston’s toughest challenge so far. But the bigger the risk, the greater the reward. Win, and the Cougars should comfortably be in the playoff picture.

No. 13 Alabama (5-2, 3-2 in SEC) has scored 27 points over its past two games, both losses. But DeBoer, in his third season as Crimson Tide coach, is sticking with second-year coordinator Grubb despite the struggles.

“I think he’s a great playcaller,” DeBoer told reporters on Monday, per ESPN’s Alex Scarborough, removing any thought of a change being imminent.

But if DeBoer isn’t careful, Grubb’s failures may soon become his own. Saturday’s game against a woeful Texas A&M (4-3, 1-3 in SEC) will be key to the Tide finding some offensive rhythm ahead of a major road test at No. 18 LSU (5-2, 2-2 in SEC) on Nov. 7. If the struggles persist, that Week 9 bye week will feel like an eternity.

In just two weeks, the college basketball regular season tips off, and on Monday, the Gators were named the preseason No. 1 team in the country by the AP.

In the poll’s history, only one preseason No. 1 (2022 North Carolina) failed to receive an NCAA Tournament invite, putting Florida in a strong early position to be potentially win a second national title in three seasons.

Multiple players from that championship squad are back, including seniors Rueben Chinyelu, Alex Condon and Thomas Haugh. Denzel Aberdeen, another member of the 2024 team, played at Kentucky last season before returning to Gainesville this season.

In the transfer portal, Florida coach Todd Golden added former Slovenian pro Domen Petrovic. He provides excellent size (6-foot-9) and an efficient stroke (he shot 55.4 percent in 2025-26, including 37.6 percent from beyond the arc) that could help make the Gators as formidable as AP poll voters believe.

No. 2 Duke and No. 8 Tennessee meet on Tuesday in an exhibition that might tell us a lot about both teams heading into 2026-27.

The Blue Devils lost their two leading scorers from a season ago, Cameron Boozer and Isaiah Evans, to the NBA Draft but return several players from the Elite Eight squad, including Cam’s brother, Cayden Boozer, plus fellow guards Dame Sarr and Caleb Foster and center Patrick Ngongba. Former Wisconsin star John Blackwell averaged 19.1 points last season and was head coach Jon Scheyer’s biggest transfer-portal addition.

Tuesday’s preseason game may be more important for Tennessee, which lost to Xavier in an exhibition game last week, 86-70.

“I wish we had five [preseason games],” head coach Rick Barnes recently told reporters, adding, “I think the way you get better is to play games and get exposed by other teams, play different ways.”

Per 247Sports, Tennessee has the third-ranked transfer portal class, including guards Terrence Hill Jr. and Juke Harris, who were the team’s leading scorers against Xavier. Considering the roster turnover, the extra game reps could be valuable, especially with a marquee non-conference game against No. 6 Michigan State looming in less than a month on Nov. 17.

Eric Smithling is a writer based in New Orleans, LA, whose byline also appears on Athlon Sports. He has been with Yardbarker since September 2022, primarily covering the NFL and college football, but also the NBA, WNBA, men’s and women’s college basketball, NHL, tennis and golf. He holds a film studies degree from the University of New Orleans

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