In our college football writers’ roundtable, beat writers Lia Assimakopoulos and Shawn McFarland and columnist Kevin Sherrington tackle trending issues surrounding the sport. You can follow them on X at @Lassimak, @McFarland_Shawn and @KSherringtonDMN.
This week, our writers discuss Brendan Sorsby landing at Texas Tech, if Texas could have made noise in the College Football Playoff and more.
Texas Tech made a big splash adding Brendan Sorsby through the transfer portal. With how Tech’s defense played in the Orange Bowl, do you think Sorsby could have given the Red Raiders enough on offense to beat Oregon?
Assimakopoulos: It’s hard not to let your mind wander to how Tech could’ve played in the Orange Bowl if its offense played any better. Behren Morton has taken a lot of the blame for his performance, but he obviously led Tech to such a successful season and was great during all of the Red Raiders’ wins. Having Sorsby probably would’ve helped, as Morton turned the ball over three times, but Oregon’s defense deserves some credit, too. Outside of one long run by J’Koby Williams, the Ducks shut down Tech entirely. I still think Oregon would’ve won regardless.
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McFarland: Well, hey, they might’ve at least scored a point or two if Sorsby were in for that play that ended in Behren Morton’s end zone interception. Sorsby still would’ve had to survive a below-average offensive line performance that allowed four hurries, three sacks and eight pressures, an Oregon defense that matched Tech’s talent and play calls that were stagnant and predictable at times. The answer here might be different if it also included highly sought-after Auburn wide receiver transfer Cam Coleman.
Sherrington: Tech’s offense got exposed against Auburn. Not enough running game, a below-average line and a lack of dynamic receivers. Sure seemed like Oregon scouted Tech well, too, and the Red Raiders didn’t add much of substance in their three weeks off. So Morton isn’t the only one at fault. Sorsby could have made a difference, but I gotta tell you, I think I like Sam Leavitt better.
Texas Tech and Texas A&M scored a combined three points in the College Football Playoff. Would Texas have put up a better fight than the Red Raiders and Aggies?
Assimakopoulos: Yes. It’s the oldest cliché in the book — play like you’ve been there before. Texas has. The others haven’t. I find it hard to believe Texas wouldn’t have been able to score a touchdown if it made the CFP. Granted, I didn’t expect that from A&M or Tech either. It was a weird two games to cover.
McFarland: Yes, if only because Arch Manning (specifically the version of Arch Manning that played the last month-and-a-half of the season) might have been the third or fourth-best quarterback in this postseason. But here’s the bottom line: the Longhorns lost to Florida, looked shaky against Kentucky and Mississippi State and lost their two biggest games of the year at Ohio State and Georgia. It’s hard to give them the benefit of the doubt if the roles were reversed in the postseason.
Sherrington: I agree with Shawn. Texas only has itself to blame, and for a coach who made such a big pitch for his team at the end, Steve Sarkisian sure seems to be losing a lot of players. Also changed his defensive coordinator. If everything was so good, why all the changes? Having said all that, yeah, I think Texas might have done better than both. For that matter, these playoff results have been the best advertisement ever for a 16-team field.
SMU, TCU and Texas each ended their seasons on a high note with bowl wins. Which bowl win was the most impressive?
Assimakopoulos: All three are impressive, but I was most surprised by TCU’s win over No. 16 USC in the Alamo Bowl. Not only was it a thrilling finish, but from watching USC this season, I felt the Trojans were a playoff-caliber team. TCU had to take them on without Josh Hoover, and Ken Seals shined in his first start at TCU. Strong end to an up-and-down year for the Horned Frogs.
McFarland: The Horned Frogs had to do the most with the least so, by those metrics, it was their win. The Longhorns looked good against Michigan in the Citrus Bowl, but given what’s transpired in Ann Arbor within the last month, they should’ve. The Mustangs beat a good Arizona team, no doubt, but weren’t forced to play a backup quarterback who barely saw the field this season. The Horned Frogs were, and because of that, orchestrated one of the most impressive and memorable wins of this bowl season.
Sherrington: TCU was the most volatile team in the state all year. Great one week; terrible the next. Fitting that they’d end the season with the most impressive bowl win, particularly with a backup quarterback.
After a great game against Michigan and a strong finish to the season, some college football pundits are already declaring Arch Manning the Heisman favorite for next season. Should he be the favorite?
Assimakopoulos: They were wrong the last time they said Arch would win the Heisman, and I still think it’s premature. Manning improved throughout the season and capped the year off with a strong performance in the Citrus Bowl. He’s certainly moving in the right direction and should be in the conversation. But we’ll just have to see what 2026 brings.
McFarland: It’s entirely situation dependent. Will he have a better offensive line, run game and wide receiver corps than he had this season? If the answer to that is yes, then sure, Manning should be on the Heisman Trophy shortlist or potentially even atop it. This isn’t to say that he isn’t singularly talented enough in his own right (his last five or six games proved that he is), but, it’ll take more than that alone to produce the numbers and wins required for the award.
Sherrington: I think he’ll be in the conversation and maybe even the frontrunner, but there won’t be the same rush to crown him the best college quarterback since Tim Tebow, as Paul Finebaum did. The kid didn’t deserve all the hype, and he didn’t deserve all the blame when he didn’t live up to it. That’s on the media who fed it.
Next year looks to be another strong season for quarterbacks in Texas, with big names like Arch Manning, Marcel Reed and Kevin Jennings returning, plus big-name portal additions for Texas Tech (Brendan Sorsby) and TCU (Jaden Craig). Who is poised to have the best season next year?
Assimakopoulos: I’m excited to see what Jennings can do in his final season at SMU. The quarterback’s season was impacted by a lingering ankle injury, but nevertheless, he had his best year statistically. Jennings will have to work with largely new targets, as his top two receivers and top two tight ends graduated, but SMU’s success starts and ends with him. The Mustangs have a manageable schedule, and he should be able to lead them to ACC title contention again.
McFarland: See above. Manning is probably the most talented of the group, but could benefit from a better supporting cast. Reed might’ve had the best individual season but certainly was aided by a pair of NFL-bound wide receivers at his disposal. Sorsby might be the safest pick given A) how effective Tech’s offense was this season, even with an oft-injured Morton and B) the seemingly endless financial commitments that the Red Raiders are willing to make to build a roster around him.
Sherrington: For the first time since the early part of this century, we’ve got multiple star-caliber quarterbacks in the state. Jennings might be the most exciting, but he continues to make mistakes he shouldn’t. Same with Reed. Manning still has a lot to prove against big-time competition, and he needs more help. If he comes through, he’s a first-round pick. Hard to say that about any of the rest.
Since losing to Oregon in the College Football Playoff, Texas Tech has been aggressive in the transfer portal. Have the Red Raiders done enough to secure their path back to the CFP?
Assimakopoulos: I think so. The Sorsby addition was massive, and Tech is not shying away from spending big to reload. Tech’s 2026 schedule may be even easier than its 2025 schedule with Arizona State likely as its toughest opponent. The Red Raiders won’t face BYU or Utah and should be able to coast to 10 wins easily, if not 12. I expect them to be right back in the CFP conversation.
McFarland: Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark said before the Orange Bowl that the conference needs an “outlier” team to become the league’s flagbearer. The Red Raiders might already be that, and as long as the oil money doesn’t dry up, and as long as the Big 12 remains in the “power conference” category and is effectively assured a playoff berth, there’s no reason that Tech can’t at least become the modern-day iteration of the Oklahoma teams of old. Will they be legitimate contenders year in and year out? Who’s to say? They can certainly be there, though.
Sherrington: Tech is playing in the right league at the right time. We’ll see if Eric Morris revives Oklahoma State with Drew Mestemaker at quarterback. The Cowboys were my pick to fill the void after the exits of Texas and Oklahoma, but that was before Mike Gundy ran out of gas. Cody Campbell has made it clear he’ll keep spending. But the Red Raiders need more than a few stars. Their lack of quality depth showed against Oregon. They can get back here, but can they hang with the best of the SEC and Big Ten? Still a question.
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