Week 10 Takeaways: The New Arch Manning, My Updated Power Rankings, Chaos in the ACC, and Scouting Notes

It’s the morning after in college football, and I’ve got you covered with my biggest takeaways from Week 10.

In case you missed any of our mailbags this week, you can find them here:

Arch Manning 2.0: We’re starting to see the confident, authoritative QB I’ve been hoping to see all year

Who’s Winning the ACC?: Five teams have just one conference loss after a chaotic Saturday slate

Prospect Watch: Quick scouting notes on Texas Tech edge David Bailey, Ohio State chess piece Arvell Reese, and three receivers who popped on Saturday

Updated College Football Power Rankings: Who’s in the CFP title bubble? Who’s on the outside looking in? I share my tiers heading into Week 11

Arch Manning started to turn the corner in the Oklahoma win, but yesterday’s performance—throwing for 328 yards and three touchdowns on 76 percent passing—in Texas’s 34-31 victory over Vanderbilt felt different. 

Early in the season, the public criticized his throwing motion and speculated that he was playing through a shoulder injury. Then, the narrative was that he was an overrated prospect from the jump because he didn’t play “high-level” high school football. People even questioned why he wasn’t starting last year over Quinn Ewers, who ended up being a seventh-rounder. 

But here’s the skinny on what was really going on behind the scenes: It was all about Arch’s eyes. I’m not talking about his eyesight, but rather the way he was reading and reacting to defenses, beginning against Ohio State and Matt Patricia’s wizardry in Week 1. 

Arch went from playing in specific packages and scripted plays last season to facing one of the most talented units and complex schemes in college football in his full-time starting debut—and did so in a hostile road environment with the weight of the world on his shoulders. I liken that experience to graduating from fifth-grade math and jumping straight to calculus without the proper prerequisites; not only did he not have the answers to the test, he didn’t even know where to look for them. 

That opening game caused him to see ghosts over the first month or so of the season, but he and head coach Steve Sarkisian are finally starting to look in sync. On Saturday, Manning was going through progressions, playing on time and in rhythm, and layering his throws beautifully to all levels of the field against Vanderbilt. His vision, poise, and raw ability were on display throughout the afternoon. 

Not for nothing, I also saw for the first time the type of healthy arrogance you want to see from a great QB. (No, standing over a Sam Houston State linebacker after scoring a touchdown doesn't count.) This was real swagger. It’s good to see that “F you, try to stop me” energy against a big-time opponent. 

Early in the season, we saw a guy being thrown into the fast lane with a car that topped out at 35 miles per hour. With his tune-ups and some growing pains out of the way, we can finally start the prospect evaluation.

The ACC just got messy. Let’s take a look at the top of the standings and go around the horn.

ACC Standings

1. Virginia (8-1, 5-0 in conference)
2. Georgia Tech (8-1, 5-1 in conference)
3. Pittsburgh (7-2, 5-1 in conference)
4. Louisville (7-1, 5-1 in conference)
5. SMU (6-3, 4-1 in conference)
6. Duke (5-3, 4-1 in conference)
7. Miami (6-2, 2-2 in conference)

Georgia Tech lost to NC State on Saturday, 48-36. It wasn’t a fluke or a last-minute comeback—Tech’s defense got exposed and the Yellow Jackets were outplayed the entire way. Haynes King was excellent again, throwing for 408 yards and ran for 103, and will need to carry this team on his shoulders down the stretch against Boston College, Pitt, and Georgia. Can Tebow 2.0 and GT bounce back? That matchup with Pitt in three weeks is looking more and more like an elimination game.

Miami fell 26-20 to SMU in OT, the Hurricanes’ second loss in three games. They’re now on the outside looking in. We thought Miami had a chance to be a real title contender early in the year, but reports of their return to glory appear premature. Quarterback Carson Beck threw a brutal OT interception in this game and followed it with another bad postgame moment. The guy just can’t help himself:

Virginia pulled out a win over Cal yesterday and sit atop the ACC standings, but who are we kidding? A 10-point win over Cal is uninspiring. The Cavaliers are in position to make the conference title game, but will likely need to win at least two of their final three games against Wake Forest, Duke, and Virginia Tech. 

Louisville and Pitt topped Virginia Tech and Stanford, respectively, and both are in the hunt for a title game appearance. Still, while they’ve shown flashes and maybe belong in the top 25, neither is a true top-15 team this year.

Duke and star QB Darian Mensah marched down the field to beat Clemson in the final minute yesterday, 46-45. The Blue Devils got bailed out on a fourth-down pass interference penalty by Tigers corner Avieon Terrell, scored on the next play, then converted what turned out to be the game-winning two-point try. Duke is in the hunt, but may need to win out (against Connecticut, UVA, UNC, and Wake Forest) to make the title game. Selfishly, I’d love to see Mensah in the College Football Playoff.

Quickly on Clemson: This is a team with loads of NFL talent that was supposed to compete for a national title this year. Dabo Swinney is a legend there, but he had a sideline meltdown on Saturday and has failed to maximize the talent on that roster in recent years. It’s fair to wonder whether pressure could be mounting inside the building.

Edge David Bailey, Texas Tech: Bailey’s first step is just stupid—the Kansas State right tackle had no chance yesterday. While he finished with just one sack (and now has 11.5 on the season, first in the nation) and one tackle for loss, Bailey impacted Avery Johnson throughout the game. Bailey was the 17th overall player and fourth-ranked edge on my midseason big board.  

Edge Arvell Reese, Ohio State: The dip-and-rip sack against Penn State LT Drew Shelton (an NFL prospect in his own right) is another example of Reese’s ability to rush the QB off the edge. The discussion about what position he’ll play in the NFL is going to dominate his draft coverage, but why can’t he just do it all? Make him the ultimate chess piece along a multiple defensive front and reap the rewards. He might wind up being the highest-drafted off-ball LB since Devin White went fifth overall to the Bucs in 2019. 

WR Carnell Tate, Ohio State: He had five receptions for 124 yards and a touchdown against Penn State, and his draft stock just continues to rise. Tate’s 40 time during the pre-draft process will be the big question, but his play speed is plenty good for me. When you run routes like he did on his TD yesterday (when he leveraged his stem and used such a compact, sharp post-corner break to separate from the safety) you’re playing like a 4.3 or low-4.4 guy. So what does the stopwatch matter? I’m firm on the top two receivers in this class: it’s Jordyn Tyson and Tate.

WR Omar Cooper Jr., Indiana: Cooper’s sluggo route for a TD against Maryland was the best route I saw in college football yesterday. I imagine Cooper’s decision to stay at Indiana or declare for the 2026 draft will be influenced by what quarterback Fernando Mendoza does. I think Cooper would be a mid-round guy if the draft was today, but he continues to ascend.

WR Zachariah Branch, Georgia: He had a great game yesterday against Florida, finishing with 10 receptions for 112 yards—including UGA’s biggest play of the day on a 42-yard catch-and-run, a critical third-down conversion late in the game, and a 14-yard catch to set up the go-ahead score. He’s so damn quick from the slot and it’s hard to limit his separation underneath if you’re a DB in man coverage. And once it’s in his hands, Branch is a frightening player to track down in space. I think he’s a second-rounder.

Tier 1: Title Bubble

1. Ohio State (8-0, at Purdue)
2. Indiana (9-0, at Maryland)
3. Texas A&M (8-0, at Missouri)
4. Alabama (7-1, vs. LSU)

Tier 2: Next in Line

5. Georgia (7-1, at Mississippi State)
6. Ole Miss (8-1, vs. The Citadel)
7. Oregon (7-1, at Iowa)

Tier 3: In the Hunt

8. Notre Dame (6-2, vs. Navy)
9. Oklahoma (7-2, Bye)
10. Texas Tech (8-1, vs. BYU)
11. BYU (8-0, at Texas Tech)
12. Texas (7-2, Bye)