Distress Index: Arch Manning, Steve Sarkisian and Texas do not appear to have solutions and are working out of time

As we stroll by means of this new world of faculty soccer collectively, it may be increasingly more troublesome to tell apart between the outcomes we will chalk as much as parity and people which might be price freaking out about. 

It is true, the variations between elite groups and the center class are smaller than ever. The schedules, notably within the SEC this yr, are unforgiving. A group’s total well being issues. Fatigue, each bodily and emotional, is difficult to measure till you see it on the sector. Practically anybody can beat anybody on a given day. Just like the NFL, margins are brutally small. 

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Issues are so completely different now in school soccer that it is tempting to indicate a little bit extra endurance and understanding.

After all, that is not what we do right here on the Distress Index. We’re about discovering the ache that followers expertise and telling them why it is actual and deserved. And the easiest way to try this is to look previous the curler coaster of outcomes we see on a week-in, week-out foundation and deal with the issues that match inside established patterns.

Which is absolutely, actually unhealthy information for Texas and coach Steve Sarkisian.

As a result of in case you take a look at what’s turn into of Texas this season, it is exhausting to make a case that back-to-back losses to Oklahoma and Florida are the product of unhealthy luck or an emotional hangover or exhaustion attributable to too many bodily video games.

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You could find an excellent rationalization for loads of the shocking ends in the SEC this season. However shedding to an inferior Oklahoma group coming off a bye week? Then turning round at dwelling and blowing a 17-3 lead over Florida, solely to lose 27-24? 

Not solely are there zero excuses for a Texas group that has tumbled from No. 1 to combating for its Faculty Soccer Playoff life, it is not even that shocking in case you watch the Longhorns each week.

They’re at all times lower than the sum of their components. 

You recognize it, Texas followers understand it and deep down Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte should understand it: So long as Sarkisian is your head coach, you’ll at all times depart some meals on the desk. 

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That does not imply Sarkisian is incompetent or that Texas could be higher off with another person. We have seen what unhealthy Texas seems to be like, and Sarkisian has left these days within the rear-view mirror. He is 39-10 over the past 3 1/2 seasons with a pair appearances within the CFP. 

However what number of occasions over his 13 years as a head coach have we ended a season saying that Sarkisian obtained essentially the most out of his expertise or exceeded expectations? As soon as, possibly? And but how typically do we have now to rationalize why somebody who made his popularity as an elite play-caller is not placing an elite offense on the sector? 

It is virtually a weekly incidence.  

This Texas group was one of the costly rosters and constructed to win all of it. It obtained a large Week 2 win over Ohio State. Its quarterback, Arch Manning, remains to be projected to be a first-round NFL Draft choose. And but, if Texas obtained overlooked of the CFP for a second yr in a row, there could be zero room to complain after immediately. That is how a lot of a popularity hit Texas has taken by shedding to an Oklahoma group that could not rating and a Florida group that hasn’t stopped anybody all season. Texas, in reality, is the one energy convention group that hasn’t managed to crack 30 factors towards a Gators protection that ranked 131st in cross protection.

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Sure, Manning is flawed, and possibly that makes it exhausting to do all of the issues Sarkisian needs to do. However the macro situation is basically the identical because it was when Quinn Ewers was the quarterback: It is tougher for Texas to attain factors than it ought to be, which factors on to Sarkisian as a result of he calls the performs. And Texas’ total inconsistency, the place it would simply kick away one sport per season that it may well’t afford to lose, is a Sark staple going again to his time at USC and Washington earlier than that. 

With all of the parity as of late, it is exhausting to inform the actual issues from the non permanent circumstances. However the issues plaguing Texas proper now aren’t new, making them America’s most depressing fan base in Week 7.

Convention Champions of Distress

ACC: The distress felt by Virginia followers mustn’t simply be about slipping to 4-3 this season after a 23-13 loss to SMU. A lot of it, if not the majority of it, ought to actually lengthen again to final yr’s ACC championship sport when the Cavaliers blew it towards Duke. Why does that sport appear so related now? As a result of while you’re Virginia, you are most likely not going to get many cracks at making the playoff. Between 2005 and 2024, Virginia completed a season within the prime 25 only one time — and that was 2019 when the ultimate coaches’ ballot ranked them … twenty fifth. So when you will have an opportunity to do one thing historic on your program, you possibly can’t let it slip by towards a Duke group that someway obtained into the ACC title sport at 7-5. If Virginia received that sport, it might have been a playoff group. You possibly can grasp banners for that as of late. Tony Elliott would have been simply the second coach in program historical past to win a convention title. Regardless of some excessive hopes for what this season may very well be, former Missouri/Penn State quarterback Beau Pribula hasn’t labored out and Virginia is again to the center of the pack. It is exhausting to maintain the religion that Virginia goes to have such a golden alternative any time within the foreseeable future. 

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Massive Ten: We will make this quite simple for Matt Campbell. At Toledo and Iowa State, you possibly can recruit a bunch of fellows with three-star expertise however five-star hearts, win seven or eight video games since you’ve obtained a extremely good tradition and get a pat on the top on the finish of the season. That is not going to chop it at Penn State. Even essentially the most pessimistic projections of Campbell’s first season weren’t as unhealthy as the truth of being 0-4 within the Massive Ten after a 21-18 loss at Michigan. And even when someway Penn State crushes the gentle again finish of its schedule to complete 8-4 (which is actually no assure given what we have seen to this point), it would imply completely nothing apart from a scorching sizzling seat for each Campbell and athletic director Pat Kraft heading into Yr 2. Even in case you have been on board with Penn State firing James Franklin final yr amidst a three-game shedding streak, no one signed up for going on to the underside of the Massive Ten. 

Massive 12: The final time Kansas beat Kansas State in soccer, one of many gamers within the shedding locker room was a freshman quarterback in the midst of a redshirt yr named Collin Klein. That was 2008. The following season, Kansas State obtained revenge 17-10 in Manhattan. Now, fast-forward to 2026 and Klein is the first-year head coach at his alma mater. In different phrases, throughout his almost twenty years as a part of the Kansas State program from participant to assistant to move coach, Klein’s solely loss to Kansas was his first yr as a school scholar. That is how brutal this rivalry has been on the Jayhawks, who fell to 2-4 after a 35-24 loss. Though Kansas has had some good moments beneath Lance Leipold (although fewer of them these days, as he is misplaced 14 of his final 21 within the Massive 12), the Sunflower Showdown has trended towards bug-meets-windshield territory. And amongst these 18 consecutive losses, solely 4 have been determined by one rating. 

Group of Six: When you’re looking for this yr’s hard-luck group, look no additional than Navy. Main UTSA 34-31 inside the ultimate 5 minutes, two Midshipmen missed a deal with on A’Marion Peterson, who turned a display screen cross right into a 41-yard landing and finally a 38-34 win. Since beating Towson on Sept. 5, Navy has misplaced 4 one-score video games — by eight to FAU, by 4 to UAB, by 5 to Air Pressure and by 4 to UTSA. What made Saturday’s consequence much more painful was that Navy quarterback Jackson Gutierrez did not get a have a good time a win in his hometown regardless of dashing for 139 yards and two touchdowns and throwing two extra. After going 21-5 the final two years, it is a shocking step again for Navy, which was picked to win the American this yr by a lot of the preseason publications. 

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Headset Distress 

Marcus Freeman: Regardless of how good of a group we predict Notre Dame is, we have to hold one vital truth in thoughts. The Irish, fairly merely, haven’t overwhelmed a group that issues for the reason that Faculty Soccer Playoff semifinals on Jan. 9, 2025. That is not an indictment of Freeman’s means to win massive video games, which we have now seen loads of occasions previously. It’s, nevertheless, an indictment of Notre Dame’s scheduling philosophy of late. Sorry, however when you find yourself watching school soccer week after week and the way powerful it’s to outlive week to week within the Massive Ten, SEC and even the Massive 12 in some circumstances, Notre Dame is doing itself no favors when it comes to public notion by enjoying good groups so occasionally. No, a 28-24 loss to BYU in Provo shouldn’t be disqualifying. But when schedules matter, and so they’re alleged to on this ultra-subjective playoff system, you possibly can’t reward Notre Dame for scheduling two massive video games a yr if they don’t seem to be successful them. Going 0-2 final season towards Miami and Texas A&M price them a CFP bid. If the Irish do not beat Miami on Nov. 7, they will not have something near a high-quality win this yr and should not be within the CFP. 

Clark Lea: OK, so possibly Vanderbilt’s success was (principally) resulting from Diego Pavia in spite of everything. That’s the solely potential takeaway from watching the post-Pavia Commodores, who’re again to being the worst group within the SEC after a 31-21 dwelling loss to Arkansas. With what’s left of their schedule, Vandy desperately wanted this one to have hopes of constructing a bowl sport. As a substitute, the Commodores’ protection gave up 438 yards and freshman quarterback Jared Curtis threw two interceptions. Lea secured an enormous contract extension after going 10-3 final season. However with out Pavia, his file is 12-30. Sure, Vanderbilt is a troublesome job — arguably one of many hardest within the energy conferences. However final yr’s narrative was all about Vandy turning a nook and committing extra assets to soccer, which included a large NIL deal for Curtis to renege on his dedication to Georgia. It is regarding that issues have instantly returned to the historic norm in Nashville. 

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Mike Norvell: The final two performs of Florida State’s 43-35 additional time loss to Miami will hang-out Norvell for awhile. Not due to something he or his gamers did however as a result of when issues aren’t going properly typically in a soccer program, it appears even the nice performs get punished. Such was the case within the second additional time, as Florida State quarterback Ashton Daniels threw two Hail Marys — neither of which hit the bottom — and but noticed each worn out by rulings that Norvell will discover exhausting to swallow. The primary one, which Daniels accomplished from the 36-yard line, obtained worn out by a reasonably ticky-tack holding penalty. Backed as much as the 46, Daniels once more gave his receiver an awesome shot to catch the ball. As a substitute, it was dominated an interception because the Miami defender and Florida State receiver got here down with it virtually concurrently. On replay, it was virtually inconceivable to inform. However as a result of the decision on the sector was an interception reasonably than simultaneous possession, which might have been a landing, the preliminary name withstood the evaluation. Enjoying so competitively towards the Canes might have purchased Norvell extra time, however a 3-4 file remains to be a 3-4 file. 

Pat Fitzgerald: Although it is unclear how a lot cash obtained out of Northwestern to be able to settle his wrongful-termination lawsuit, it was virtually actually within the tens of hundreds of thousands. And it most likely wasn’t sufficient to utterly soothe the ache he felt shedding 24-21 to his alma mater, as Northwestern’s Jackson Kleather nailed a 34-yard discipline aim to beat Michigan State on the ultimate play from scrimmage. For individuals who do not keep in mind, Fitzgerald was a star linebacker on Northwestern’s miraculous 1995 group that made the Rose Bowl, took over as head coach in 2006 following the tragic demise of Randy Walker and led this system for 17 seasons, a few of which have been superb. However it all fell aside in the summertime of 2023, a number of months after a 1-11 season, when allegations surfaced a few tradition of locker room hazing. Fitzgerald denied any data of it however was fired anyway. It was an unsightly and personally hurtful finish to an awesome relationship, and Fitzgerald’s motivation for coming again at one other Massive Ten faculty virtually actually revolves round revenge on some stage. How might it not? However that should wait a minimum of one other yr. 

Moments of Distress

Gunner gacked one: If there’s one quarterback you would not anticipate to commit a horrible turnover on the worst potential time, it is most likely Georgia’s Gunner Stockton. Together with his maturity and expertise in massive video games, it was completely beautiful to see him cough up a fumble simply previous midfield with a minute to go towards Auburn, setting the desk for a 27-24 loss. At that time within the sport, Georgia had simply come again to tie it up and compelled Auburn to punt. Regardless of how poorly Georgia performed for a lot of the sport, almost everybody watching might be pondering the identical factor — that Stockton is about to steer his group into discipline aim vary and Georgia will stroll off the sector 7-0. As a substitute, Stockton’s turnover handed Auburn the chance to tug one of many upsets of the yr and the Tigers didn’t give it again. 

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Mora protection, please: Once we final noticed Colorado State a pair weeks in the past, head coach Jim Mora was having a meltdown about how unhealthy the Rams’ protection was, main him to fireplace coordinator Tyson Summers mid-game. Shockingly (or not), that did not clear up Colorado State’s issues on that aspect of the ball. In a 66-27 loss to Texas State, the Rams gave up 716 yards of offense, together with 503 on the bottom. It is most likely price asking looking back why Mora employed Summers within the first place. They’d by no means labored collectively earlier than, and Summers’ defensive scheme has nothing in frequent with what Mora’s groups had achieved previously. However Summers, who was Colorado State’s interim coach final season, was well-liked sufficient that Mora saved him round. Consequently, that is just about a wasted yr for the Rams, who’ve given up 222 whole factors of their final 4 video games. 

Mateer is not magic: Oklahoma is simply painful to look at on offense at this level. Positive, it does not assist that the offensive line is banged up and is not enjoying very properly. However the query Sooners followers will probably be asking for a very long time to return is what the heck occurred to quarterback John Mateer. Although Mateer has at all times had flaws, a minimum of he was enjoyable to look at final season. However this yr has gone so poorly, it is making Oklahoma followers pine for the times of Blake Bell. Although the Belldozer was not an elite quarterback by any means — he finally discovered his calling as a decent finish — he did not make the crushing errors week after week that we’re seeing from Mateer. In a 21-13 loss to Kentucky, which all however eliminates OU from the playoff dialog, Mateer threw three interceptions. Two of them got here on Oklahoma’s closing two possessions, together with a pick-6 when the Sooners merely wanted a discipline aim to flee with a victory. Taking particular groups and defensive scores out of the equation, Oklahoma’s offense hasn’t produced greater than 14 factors in any sport in addition to the season opener towards UTEP.

Followers gone wild: One week after an Alabama fan struck a Georgia participant on the helmet throughout the postgame celebration, incomes him a lifetime ban from attending video games in Tuscaloosa, video surfaced of a Texas fan on the sector taunting Florida gamers after the Gators’ 27-24 win in Austin. Whereas the fan had the center finger of his proper hand raised, he was holding a cellphone in his left, suggesting he needed this incident on digicam and distributed on social media. Fairly merely, this must cease. Whereas it is indicative of a a lot bigger societal drawback — younger folks appear to have fewer and fewer inhibitions about bringing unhealthy on-line habits into real-life situations — that is additionally one thing faculties must get management over. Between all of the premium entry being offered and sideline passes handed out, it simply looks as if there are increasingly more folks discovering their solution to the sector who merely do not belong there. Safety at soccer video games is difficult and unwieldy, however possibly it is time to tighten issues up and begin issuing stricter bans for followers who instantly have interaction gamers with malicious intent — even when it is simply trash speak. Determine this out earlier than a very regrettable and preventable incident occurs