Texas should start Arch Manning over Quinn Ewers to stand a chance of beating Ohio State in Friday’s Cotton Bowl, according to college football analyst Paul Finebaum.

The No. 3 Longhorns face the No. 6 Buckeyes on Friday at AT&T Stadium – home of the Dallas Cowboys. The winning team will meet Notre Dame in the national championship game of the College Football Playoffs, after they beat Penn State 27-24 in the other semi-final on Thursday.

Texas needed double overtime to beat Arizona State in their last game, and won by 14 points in the previous round against Clemson. Ohio State have been dominant offensively heading into Friday’s game, and Finebaum believes that the Longhorns should trust Manning over Ewers in the quarterback position.

“I think he must play Arch more to get that offense moving,” Finebaum said when discussing how Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian should approach the game. The Buckeyes have destroyed their opposition during the College Football Playoffs, beating Tennessee 42-17 before steamrolling a flawless Oregon team 41-21.

Although the Longhorns have also reached the semi-finals, they’ve only scored 17 points in the second half across both games. Finebaum isn’t convinced that Texas can beat Ohio State if that trend continues.

Manning has been a respectful backup to Ewers this year, although 2025 is his turn to lead the Longhorns offense. Ewers is yet to declare for the 2025 NFL Draft, and has reportedly been given a $6 million offer to return to college football.

With Texas set to run with Manning no matter what, it means Ewers would have to enter the transfer portal should he return to college. “Right now, I’m just not worried about all that stuff,” Ewers said when asked about his future during Cotton Bowl media day.

Ewers is set to join a new team next season, whether in college or professional.

Ewers is set to join a new team next season, whether in college or professional.

Georgia quarterback Carson Beck has already entered the transfer portal, after delaying his NFL Draft plans. Like Ewers, Beck had originally planned to enter the draft this year but has since decided to return to college, just not with the Bulldogs.

Beck has committed to Miami, where he will spend the final year of eligibility, before declaring for the 2026 NFL Draft. Beck’s reasoning for the decision may have stemmed from his injury, where he suffered a UCL injury against the Longhorns earlier in the season.

As a result, Beck is unlikely to practice this spring for Miami, and it would have impacted his rookie season in the NFL. Beck will focus on strengthening his draft position ahead of 2026, and it’s expected that Ewers will announce his decision once the college football season is over.