On the surface, it seems as if Peyton Manning will have a bit of a dilemma when Tennessee and Texas play this fall.
That matchup will feature his alma mater against his nephew — Texas quarterback Arch Manning. That matchup is slated for Sept. 26 in Knoxville.
While it may be a tough decision for some, Manning says it’s an easy choice.
“One of the kids was asking me earlier who I was going to go for,” Manning told Chris Gordy on Friday at the Manning Passing Academy. “I said, ‘who do you think?’ and he said that he would go for his school over his relative. I went ‘you and I are different. You and I are wired differently.’ Nothing is more important than your family.
“Obviously, it’s going to be a huge SEC game. My dad dealt with it when I was in college when Tennessee played Ole Miss. Look, I love my university, my alma mater. Pull for them unconditionally. But nothing is more important to me than my family and when you have a nephew playing, I pull very hard for him every single Saturday. That’s pretty much a no-brainer that you’re pulling for your nephew to play well.”
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That matchup figures to be a crucial one for both programs. Texas and Tennessee missed out on the College Football Playoff last year and will be looking to get back into the mix in 2026.
Kickoff is set for 12 p.m. ET in Knoxville on Sept. 26.
Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
