September is supposed to be the forgiving month in college football. Many of the schedules are soft, as work-in-progress teams come into their own and correct mistakes from week to week. That grace period is over.
Several coaches are already on the hot seat after continuing troubling trends at their schools, and some star players from a year ago have regressed, putting more pressure on them as they enter the tougher stretch of the schedule. While some top players maintain their elite standing and several coaches hold secure positions, pressure affects everyone differently. What they share is the prospect of facing their most difficult challenges in the near future and playing up to -- and exceeding -- expectations.
Some have struggled to meet those expectations of late, while others have wavered from their path or faced challenges in shedding their past labels. This is the Pressure Index: a look at the coaches and players whose margins are thinning. Some have more runway left to correct course.
Others may only have one Saturday to prove it. What happened: 17 for 33 passing, 164 yards in a 30-6 win against UTSA. What didn't work: Arch Manning does just enough to win games, but he's still erratic.
He missed several throws, sailing the first pass of the game, scrambled far more than he should have and finished with the third-worst quarterback rating of his career (30.6) Saturday against UTSA. What's next: All eyes will be on the Manning Family again as Texas heads to Rocky Top to face Tennessee, where Uncle Peyton Manning played. He faces a Jim Knowles-led defense that may sit in three-high coverage and dare Manning to go through his progressions.
Other than last year's Ohio State game, this is the toughest road trip of Manning's career so far. What we think: The win against Ohio State feels like a long time ago after everything Manning has been through since then -- his controversy with ESPN's Holly Rowe and the lackluster performance against UTSA. Which Arch shows up at Tennessee?
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