#1 TEXAS at #3 OHIO STATE; NOON ET; FOX: Wow! What a way to kick-off the college football season. The defending national champions hosting the top-ranked team heading into the campaign. The game, of course, also marks a changing of the guard at Texas where Arch Manning (#16, 6-3, 220) takes over at QB for the Longhorns after backing up Quinn Ewers the past couple of seasons. Manning, the grandson of one former #1 pick and the nephew of two others, has been the presumptive top pick for the 2025 draft, literally since his high school days, although he is still yet to play all that much for the Longhorns to date; indeed, he’s thrown fewer than 100 career passes, but clearly the tools are there along with the bloodline. However, there are also no guarantees that Manning will even enter the upcoming draft as the Mannings have tended to stay in school ad complete their eligibility. Manning also won’t necessarily be surrounded by a ton of veteran support this fall, although RB Quint Wisner (#5, 6-0, 195) could get some 2nd day looks if he opts to enter the upcoming draft, while OG DJ Campbell (#52, 6-2, 325) is one of the top interior OL prospects in the country, but is the only returning starter upfront on offence. In fact, the Longhorns top 2026 prospect other than Manning is MLB Anthony Hill (#0, 6-2, 240), the consensus top LB in this year’s draft who has some top 10 potential of his own. He’ll get support from the likes of CB Malik Muhammad (#5, 6-0, 190), OLB Trey Moore (#8, 6-3, 250) and S Michael Taafe (#16, 6-0, 190) each of whom are second-day candidates. Overall, though, the Longhorns’ top non-QB prospect is star sophomore ER Collin Simmons (#1, 6-2, 240), who had 9 sacks last fall, but won’t be draft eligible until 2027.
For its part, Ohio State is coming off a dream season in which the Buckeyes won the national championship and then capped it off by leading the country with 14 players selected at the 2025 draft. It was also the 10th year in a row that Ohio State had had at least one player selected in the first round, a streak that should almost certainly continue this coming April, especially if FS Caleb Downs (#2, 6-0, 205), who is generally considered to be one of the top 2-3 non-QB prospects in college football, opts to turn pro this winter. In fact, there’s a better than even chance that the Buckeyes will have at least one #1 pick this year even if Downs chooses to stick around for his final year of eligibility as WR Carnell Tate (#17, 6-2, 195), OT Ethan Onianwa (#78. 6-6, 330), and CB Jermaine Matthews (#7, 5-11, 190) each have late first potential, while TE Max Klare (#86, 6-4, 245) and LB Sonny Styles (#0, 6-4, 245) are also among the top prospects at their respective positions. However, whether the Buckeyes can repeat may depend on how quickly sophomore QB Julian Sayin (#10, 6-1, 210) adjusts to the speed of the game in his first year as a full-time starter.
#9 LSU at #4 CLEMSON; 7:30 PM ET; ABC: Apart from the fact that it matches a couple of top-10 teams with legit CFP playoff aspirations in what could be called the ‘Tiger Bowl!’ this game will likely be a magnet for pro scouts as it features arguably the top 2 returning QB prospects for the upcoming draft in Garrett Nussmeier (#18, 6-1, 205) of LSU and Clemson’s Cade Klubnik (#2, 6-2, 210). Nussmeier, who threw for over 4,000 yards and 29 TDs in 2024 is the leading returning passer in college football and likely would have been one of the top 2-3 QBs selected this past April had he not opted to return to school, while Klubnik quietly put together a break-out year of his own as he threw for over 3,700 yards and 36 TDs against just 6 picks. Indeed, ask people around the league, few of whom expect Manning to ultimately enter this year’s draft, who are the top QB s prospects and Klubnik and Nussmeier are the names one hears most often in response.
Klubnik, in particular, though, isn’t necessarily even Clemson’s top prospect looking ahead to 2026 as the ACC Tigers have a couple of defensive linemen in DE TJ Parker (#3, 6-3, 260) and DT Peter Woods (#11, 6-3, 310) with legit top 5 potential. In fact, the explosive Parker, who had 11 sacks as a sophomore last fall, could get some props as the #1 pick oveall next April. For good measure, Clemson also has a couple of other potential later opening round candidates in CB Avieon Terrell (#8, 5-11, 180) and WR Antonio Williams (#0, 5-11, 190), while RT Blake Miller (#78, 6-5, 310) is a solid second-day prospect and veteran OG Walker Parks (#64, 6-4, 310) and DT DeMonte Capehart (#19, 6-4, 315) provide depth.
For its part, LSU will be fielding a very young squad this year – their entire offensive line, for example, will be made up of freshmen and sophomores -but, the veteran talent they do return is really good. Nussmeier, for example, will have a couple of proven big-play targets to throw to in WRs Nic Anderson (#4, 6-3, 210) and Barion Brown (#6, 5-11, 185), who transferred to LSU from Oklahoma and Kentucky, respectively, this past winter. Anderson is a huge target with speed who didn’t play last fall because of a torn thigh muscle, but averaged just under 22 yards per catch and scored 10 times the previous year, while Brown doubles as one of the most electric return artists in college football. LSU could also feature a dynamic edge rush as DE Patrick Payton (#6, 6-5, 255) and OLB Harold Perkins (#7, 6-1, 225), both of whom were considered to be potential top 10 candidates for 2025 at this time last year, are back this fall. Payton, though, is coming off a very disappointing year last fall at Florida State, while Perkins missed the better part of the year with a torn ACL. The Tigers defense also has a couple of productive second day prospects in MLB Whit Weeks, a tackling machine who had 118 stops last fall, and CB Mansoor Delane who transferred from Virginia Tech after posting 54 tackles and 4 picks in 2024.
