CFB analyst serves Steve Sarkisian with "national championship or bust" reality as Texas enters first season with QB1 Arch Manning 

On3's J.D. PicKell believes the 2025 season would be a failure for Texas if Steve Sarkisian and Arch Manning don't win the national championship. Manning will replace Quinn Ewers as the team's new starting quarterback in his sophomore year.

The college football analyst said that he he feels that the work Sarkisian has done to improve the Longhorns makes it fair to expect them to accomplish their goal.

"I'm very, very slow to say title or bust, conference title or bust, whatever," PicKell said on Tuesday (01:23), via "The Hard Count with J.D. PicKell." "But with the situation that Texas is in right now, what they've done the last couple of seasons, what Steve Sarkisian has done around Texas, and elevated Texas to, I think this is a fair statement to make."

PicKell noted that Texas fans should be excited about how their team has developed under Sarkisian. Last year, the Longhorns finished with a 13-3 (7-1 Southeastern Conference) record and qualified for the College Football Playoff. However, on Jan. 10, they suffered a 28-14 loss to the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Cotton Bowl.

The upcoming season has fans optimistic about their chances of winning the national championship with Manning as the starting quarterback. He ended his freshman year with 61 completions for 939 yards and nine touchdowns. Manning had opportunities to showcase his potential when Ewers missed several games due to an oblique injury.

One of his best performances was in Texas' 35-13 win against the Mississippi State Bulldogs on Sept. 28. Manning completed 26 of 31 passes for 325 yards and two touchdowns.

J.D. PicKell shares his concern for Arch Manning in his first season as starter for the Texas Longhorns

J.D. PicKell added Texas' chances of winning a national championship hinges on Arch Manning ability to finish the last month of the regular season strong. He believes teams like the Georgia Bulldogs will test whether the sophomore quarterback is ready for the College Football Playoff.

"I'm really most curious where is Arch Manning by the month of November, because in the month of November, you go to Georgia and you finish your season with Texas A&M in Austin," PicKell said on Tuesday (04:16), via "The Hard Count with J.D. PicKell."

"I have to imagine those are going to be high leverage games for the Longhorns. Is he able to play like a second-year starter by that point in his first year as the guy in Texas?"

The Longhorns will start the 2025 season against the Ohio State Buckeyes on Aug. 30. Manning will try to avenge their loss in the College Football Playoff and make a statement as a starter.