ESPN’s SP+ has predicted the final score of a huge SEC showdown in Austin that now apparently is set to include Arch Manning.
The Texas star quarterback, who had been listed as questionable on the SEC’s availability report on Wednesday and Thursday nights, was taken off the Texas injury report on Friday night. He was in concussion protocol all week after being injured in last Saturday’s overtime victory at Mississippi State.
Now, the noon ET kickoff on ABC looks like it will pit 2 of the premier quarterbacks in college football with Manning opposing Vanderbilt star signal-caller Diego Pavia. No. 20 Texas is trying to avoid that dreaded 3rd loss of the season, while Vanderbilt is 7-1 and in uncharted territory in the top 10 with a No. 9 ranking.
ESPN’s SP+ is available for all of the Week 10 matchups, and the model is predicting that Texas will narrowly escape with a 26-24 victory over Vandy.
Here’s that prediction along with the rest of the Week 10 slate:
Because Texas just joined the SEC in 2024, the Longhorns and Commodores haven’t met all that much throughout their football histories. Despite Texas having the clear advantage in terms of football lore, it’s Vanderbilt that leads the all-time series between the programs. Vandy has won 8 of their 13 meetings, with Texas only winning 4 and the teams tying once.
Last season, Texas escaped Nashville with a 27-24 victory, so Vanderbilt will be looking for some payback on Saturday afternoon in Austin. To get that payback, it looks like the Commodores will have to conquer Manning.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
