After winning Citrus Bowl MVP like his uncle Peyton did, Arch Manning jokes 'I don't want to have to play it twice'

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Arch Manning would prefer not to tie his uncle with two Citrus Bowl appearances.

The Texas QB was named the Citrus Bowl MVP on Wednesday with a four-touchdown performance in the No. 13 Longhorns’ 41-27 win over No. 18 Michigan. It’s an award he does not want to win again, however. Manning has his sights set higher for the 2026 season.

“I think [Peyton] played it twice, I don’t want to have to play it twice,” Manning said with a grin after the game.

Peyton Manning played in the Citrus Bowl after the 1995 and 1996 seasons. Tennessee won both of those games and finished in the top 10 of the AP Top 25 at the end of both seasons.

However, that was in the era without a defined national championship game or College Football Playoff. And the Citrus Bowl is not among the six bowl games that make up the current 12-team playoff. You can understand why Arch doesn’t want to be back.

The preseason Heisman favorite had an uneven start to his first full season as a starter but emerged over the second half of the season. Arch threw for 14 touchdowns and rushed for five more over Texas’ final seven games of the season. However, the Longhorns (10-3) started the season 3-2 and a November loss to Georgia ended their playoff hopes.

Manning will likely be the preseason Heisman favorite again ahead of his redshirt junior season in 2026. And Texas will be a favorite to make the College Football Playoff again. But if they miss out for back-to-back seasons, the Citrus Bowl will probably be happy to have the Longhorns for a second straight appearance.

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