On Sunday, the College Football Playoff Committee unveiled the first-ever 12-team playoff bracket, and if it's anything like the regular season, expect plenty of parity, drama, and intriguing matchups across the board.
One team that will need to bounce back from a tough loss is the No. 5 Texas Longhorns, who will face off against the No. 12 Clemson Tigers in an orange-on-orange showdown in the first round of the playoffs.
While the Longhorns certainly have national title aspirations-and possess the roster and talent to achieve those goals-they have been struggling in some key areas. ESPN college football analyst Paul Finebaum has pointed out that these issues may be linked to quarterback Quinn Ewers' performance.
On Monday morning, Finebaum made a bold suggestion for head coach Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns: He believes Texas needs to utilize backup quarterback Arch Manning much more than they currently are if they want to reach their full potential in the playoff hunt.
"As good as Texas has been this year, they have found some flaws, and most of those flaws have centered around their No. 1 player, Quinn Ewers," Finebaum said. "He has been erratic at times, throwing interceptions when he doesn't need to. It opens up the question: What should Steve Sarkisian do? Should he bring in the most famous backup quarterback in college football, Arch Manning, who has some packages for him? Or should he stick with Ewers? I think he needs to put Manning in there a little bit more."
Manning hasn't seen much action, but when he has, his usage has mainly been centered around his legs, showcasing his athleticism and speed-traits that set him apart from most quarterbacks in his family, possibly even his grandfather, Archie Manning, who was a talented NFL quarterback.
Despite these promising attributes, Texas has clearly been one of the best teams in the country this season. However, they have struggled to turn drives into touchdowns in their recent loss to Georgia, which ultimately led to their overtime defeat.
If Ewers continues to have difficulty sustaining drives and converting them into touchdowns, Texas could face an early upset in the playoffs. What has been an otherwise remarkable season could quickly turn into an underwhelming one. This raises the question: Could Arch Manning be the spark the Longhorns need, and should he be utilized more in the offense to help revitalize their chances?