Watch college football games on TV: Michigan vs. Oklahoma leads the way

Arch Manning entered last weekend as the favorite to win the Heisman Trophy, something his uncles and grandfather never did. Because of his last name, and because he plays at Texas, Manning was walking into this season — his first as the Longhorns’ full-time starter at quarterback — with all the hype.

But then he put forth an incredibly average performance in Columbus, Ohio, on Saturday as the Longhorns lost 14-7 to the Buckeyes. Manning missed some throws, side-armed several others, and looked mediocre for the majority of the game against a defense orchestrated by Matt Patricia.

The 6-foot-4 sophomore finished with 170 passing yards and a touchdown while completing 17-of-30 throws. He also ran for 38 yards on 10 carries. Those numbers are fine for most quarterbacks — North Carolina would’ve been elated to see Gio Lopez post those on Monday night — but they didn’t meet the expectations that followed Manning into the season, where talking heads like Paul Finebaum repeatedly called him the best college football quarterback since Tim Tebow.

And so, most online sportsbooks demoted Manning in their odds for the Heisman Trophy. Taking his place atop the ballot are two other SEC quarterbacks: LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier and South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers. Closely following those two are two ACC quarterbacks, Miami’s Carson Beck and Clemson’s Cade Klubnik. Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith is in the mix too.

Of that group of candidates, it was probably Beck who had the most impressive Week One performance, as he completed 20-of-31 passes for 205 yards and two touchdowns as the Hurricanes beat old rival Notre Dame in a ranked-on-ranked matchup. Beck entered this season with a lot of folks underestimating him, with some saying he couldn’t possibly be for Miami what Cam Ward was last season and others declaring Georgia would be better off without him.

This is where it’s important to point out that the Heisman is a popularity contest. If the award was given to the best football player every year, Ndamukong Suh would’ve won in 2009 and Keenan Reynolds would’ve taken it home in 2015. The voters tend to cast their ballots for stories, narratives and media-friendly players. Right now, Beck is authoring a story, for himself and Miami, about overcoming doubters and naysayers.

And don’t give up on Manning just yet. If his performance against Ohio State was the fall, then perhaps there is a rise later this season. And we all love a good comeback story.

Here’s the games you should watch this week, none of which involves Beck or Manning:

Best Game of the Week: No. 15 Michigan at No. 18 Oklahoma

Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET — ABC

This is our lone ranked-on-ranked matchup and helmet game this week. These two teams haven’t faced off since 1975, when Barry Switzer’s Sooners beat Bo Schembechler’s Wolverines in the Orange Bowl to claim the national championship. The stakes are a bit lower this time around, but a win for Oklahoma would go a long way in dousing the flames around the seat of head coach Brent Venables. For Michigan, a victory could put a fifth Big Ten team in the playoff conversation.

Game that might have an impact on the College Football Playoff: USF at No. 13 Florida

Saturday, 4:15 p.m. ET — SEC Network

On its surface, the stakes don’t seem high for this game. But after South Florida upset Boise State by a wide and comfortable margin last weekend, the race for the Group of Five bid into the College Football Playoff is wide open and — with a strong performance against the Gators — USF can emerge as a frontrunner for that spot. Which is kind of a wild thing to say, considering the Bulls have just two seasons of double-digit wins since becoming an FBS program, but Alex Golesh has guided them to a pair of 7-6 seasons and could be turning an even bigger corner here in Year Three.

And if you’re Florida, well, you can kiss any hope of making the playoff goodbye if you lose to USF. The Gators are 3-0 all-time against the Bulls.

Weird Weeknight Game of the Week: James Madison at Louisville

Friday, 7 p.m. ET — ESPN2

James Madison is another Group of Five team that could be vying for that playoff spot, while Louisville is a team seen by many as a potential darkhorse candidate to show up in Charlotte in December to play for the ACC title. This should be an entertaining game and a good measuring stick for both programs early in the season.

Awesome FCS matchup worth watching: South Dakota State at Montana State

Saturday, 8 p.m. ET — ESPN+

This is a battle between two of the best FCS programs in the country, ones who in recent years have produced NFL talent, competed for national championships, and pulled off upsets against FBS foes. The Bobcats fell to North Dakota State in the national title game last season, while the Jackrabbits won the previous two, in 2023 and 2022. There’s a real chance we see a rematch of this game in the FCS playoffs.

Sickos Guilty Pleasure Game of the Week: Iowa at No. 16 Iowa State

Saturday, 12 p.m. ET — FOX

“It’s going to be bad, and you’re going to have a great time.”