Arch Manning's Tenure as Texas Starter Should Be Nearing an End

Perhaps we expected too much. Scratch that, of course we expected too much.

With the last name Manning, how could we not?

What has become increasingly evident week over week, however, is that Arch Manning will never be what so many wanted him to be, what Texas and its loyal fans expected him to be, and what Steve Sarkisian, despite a mountain of evidence that says otherwise, still says he will ultimately become.

At least not now and not at Texas. And rather we continue to explore ways to manifest his growth and development—to truly avoid this current reality a while longer—we should accept what we already know.

It's best for all parties if Manning's tenure at Texas comes to an end one way or another.

Sure, the Longhorns still have a season to finish out. We're not yet at Halloween, and there is plenty of meaningful football to be played. For Texas, which started its season with a thrilling come-from-behind win over Ohio State, it now finds itself on a two-game losing streak.

First, it was Oklahoma. The Sooners shocked the Longhorns in Week 6, thanks in part to two Manning interceptions.

This week, it was Florida's turn. Although the Gators have allowed a combined 83 points over their past two games and were playing with their backup quarterback on the road, Texas still couldn't win.

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While the Longhorns struggled to mount any offense, Manning still had a final drive to tie the game or even give his team the lead. On the second play of that drive Manning fumbled the ball and the Gators recovered, sealing a 27-24 victory.

Just like that, game over.

For Texas, its playoff future is now very much foggy. And with tough games still on the schedule and a potential third loss looming, it's possible this outcome will be the one that dooms the Longhorn's season.

For Manning, this performance could be even more significant. If he wasn't questioning his future at the program coming in—and how could he not given how turbulent the last few years have been—this could (and should) serve as the breaking point.

In many respects, we've been building toward this. Through six games, Manning has scored only 11 touchdowns and thrown five interceptions. He's eclipsed 300 yards passing once, and it came during Week 1 against overmatched Texas State.

After the loss to Oklahoma, the questions that have blanketed his collegiate tenure grew louder. Despite what our eyes have told us, his head coach didn't waiver publicly.

"I think if you took the name off the back of his jersey and you said, 'Here's Joe Smith playing quarterback at the University of Texas and here's a guy who's beaten four top-10 ranked teams in his last 13 starts,' we'd be praising the guy," Sarkisian said earlier in the week. "But the expectations are high for him, and he understands that."

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Sarkisian has done nothing but defend his player, and he deserves credit for doing so. The reality of these comments, however, couldn't be further from reality.

If 'Joe Smith' was the starter at Texas, he would have been benched by now.

It's difficult to pinpoint exactly where to start when it comes to Manning's issues. His accuracy remains problematic, although he never truly looks comfortable playing the position.

He rushes his reads, he leaves the pocket when he doesn't have to, and he rarely looks to be in a rhythm. It would be one thing if he was still getting his feet wet, but that is not the case. Manning has been on campus for four years now, and these issues are still painfully obvious.

For Manning, it's difficult to know where to go from here. After the season, he could go to the NFL. Given what we've seen, he'd likely be nothing more than a project on a quarterback-desperate franchise.

The days of him being a surefire top five pick have quickly faded. And it seems unlikely we'll ever return to that point again.

He could enter the transfer portal at season's end, which at this point feels like the most likely outcome. Perhaps another coach and situation will be able to unlock what Sarkisian hasn't been able to.

At the very least, even with the lackluster results, teams would welcome the opportunity to try. This would be best for Manning; it would also make sense for Texas. This once-promising football marriage has lost its luster. And there's no salvaging it now.

Perhaps the more pressing question is what to do in this moment. Texas plays Ole Miss next Saturday, and the road won't get any easier. It's fair to wonder if Manning will start that game given the sudden desperation this program finds itself in.

It's even fairer to wonder if he should.

Only days after he feverishly defended his QB, Sarkisian's tune drastically changed in the afterglow of the latest loss.

"We're not playing good offensive football right now," he said. So everything is going to be evaluated."

This feels like a moment. Something has to give, and it sounds like it might. Saturday was simply the tipping point.

What can't happen is more of the same, not after what we just witnessed and all we've seen over the past few years.

Not for Texas and certainly not for Manning.