Arch Manning, Texas undaunted by preseason hype entering Ohio State showdown: 'The target's not on our back'

Texas is the No. 1 team in the preseason AP Top 25 for the first time in program history. Many would argue that the national championship is the Longhorns' to lose. They also have a big-name quarterback set to take the reins in Arch Manning, who may well end up as the Heisman Trophy winner if he lives up to his potential as a first-year starter. The hype train is moving full steam ahead, but Manning brushed off any concern of complacency inside the Longhorns' locker room.

All eyes will be on Texas right out of the gate, too, with its monumental season-opening clash with No. 3 Ohio State. Two of the top three teams in the country take center stage Saturday in a tantalizing Week 1 showdown with immediate College Football Playoff implications. The Buckeyes and everyone else the Longhorns play this year will have plenty of motivation to take down the nation's top dog. But according to Manning, that goes both ways.

"I think we kind of try to shift the narrative," Manning said Monday in his media availability. "We're going for everyone else. The target's not on our back; we have a red dot on everyone else."

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Entering the season as the top-ranked team typically does not bode well in the national championship race. Not since Alabama hoisted the trophy in 2017 has the preseason No. 1 squad won it all. Before that, USC in 2004 was the most recent team to deliver on expectations. Those are the only two teams this century to accomplish the feat.

Despite the historical data, the betting market favors Texas over the other contenders. The Longhorns (+550) are the favorites at FanDuel to emerge from the CFP bracket as the top team in the land.

Texas, a 2.5-point underdog Saturday in Columbus per FanDuel, does not have to win its daunting opener against the Buckeyes in order to reach the playoff, nor does it need a victory to even close the year as the bracket's top seed. But to make an early statement against the reigning champion would fortify the Longhorns' case as the best team in the sport until proven otherwise.

"They got really good players," Manning said of the Buckeyes. "They're well-coached. They've got a bunch of guys that have played a lot of football. Caleb Downs, I can't say enough good things about him. He's a really good player. We're going to have to bring our A game."