Heading into Week 1 the Texas Longhorns and its superstar are as good a bet as any on paper
No. 1 Texas takes on No. 2 Ohio State this weekend to kick off the 2025 season. But, before the year kicks off, you need to get some last minute preseason bets in. And ESPN’s Pamela Maldonado is on the same page as me going into Saturday.The ESPN writer gives her take on Heisman favorite, […]
No. 1 Texas takes on No. 2 Ohio State this weekend to kick off the 2025 season. But, before the year kicks off, you need to get some last minute preseason bets in. And ESPN’s Pamela Maldonado is on the same page as me going into Saturday.
The ESPN writer gives her take on Heisman favorite, Arch Manning, and the Longhorns being one of the top bets you can take to win it all when the confetti falls at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.
Let’s take a look at her take on Manning’s Heisman odds and if Texas has the makings of a national champion.
“He makes perfect sense on paper.”
“Texas has the weapons, the protection and the national stage to keep him in the spotlight every single week,” Maldonado said. “Manning is stepping in as the starer for a program that is already loaded with talent, and if he plays clean and efficient, the hype machine does the rest.
“The problem is that preseason buzz can also be a trap. He is unproven over a full season, and Heisman voters usually want wow moments, not just solid quarterbacking,” Maldonado said. “If he looks more like a distributor than a star, the odds are inflated.
“Reminder: Only one preseason Heisman favorite has won the trophy in the past 16 years (Marcus Mariota in 2014). Feels a little rich for the risk.”
Arch Manning to win the Heisman Trophy: +650
“Asking Texas to cut that 20-year drought totally gets you excited.”
“You’ve got Manning running the show, a high-flying offense, a defense anchored by Anthony Hill Jr. and Colin Simmons and a coaching staff that’s built consistency with back-to-back CFP appearances,” Maldonado said. “Texas is preseason No. 1 and the favorites to win both the SEC and the national title. But let’s pump the brakes a little.
“Preseason vibes don’t win championships. The Longhorns lost key staffers, Georgia is still a threat, and if they have any misstep, Texas is toast.”
Texas to win the national championship: +550
The stat of no preseason favorite winning the Heisman in the last 16 years is hard to ignore. And when Mariota did it, he essentially went wire-to-wire. Could Manning do the same as a redshirt sophomore? Sure. Texas has the defense to help him get settled and get him the ball back to have enough chances to make plays.
The real test will be when the proverbial shit hits the fan for the first time. How will he respond? I think I know how he will, but we still need to see it. It could happen this weekend on the road at the Horseshoe in front of 103,000 people.
As far as Texas winning the whole damn thing, why not? Maybe the Longhorns lose this weekend. So what? It’s a marquee matchup in August. If we learned anything from last year’s CFP committee, the earlier the loss the better. And this isn’t Northern Illinois. It’s the defending national champs. If Texas can weather the storm this weekend, hold its own throughout September and October, and end the year 10-2 or 11-1, the bracket should set up nicely for another run at the CFP finals.
