Texas football kicks off challenging stretch

• A dozen teams will compete in the playoff at season's end. The selection committee will release its first rankings of the season on Tuesday — which will give teams an idea of how far they must climb to make it.
• A playoff appearance means not only a chance for a national championship, but also satisfaction for the Orangeblood faithful, who had high expectations entering this season.

Catch up quick: Following a concussion last weekend at Mississippi State, Arch Manning, UT's vaunted-but-largely-underperforming starting quarterback, is listed as questionable for Saturday's game against No. 9 Vanderbilt.

• Meanwhile, rumors swirl around whether head coach Steve Sarkisian might bolt to the NFL.
• The team's last two wins have come in overtime against unranked squads, raising questions about whether the Longhorns are resilient or plain mediocre.

Yes, but: At 6-2 — and 3-1 in conference play — the Longhorns remain in playoff contention.

• Texas will close out the season traveling to No. 5 Georgia, then facing Arkansas and No. 3 Texas A&M at home.
• In other words, if they win out — and that's a very big if — they'll likely be playoff bound.

State of play: If Manning doesn't play, the Longhorns would be led by Matthew Caldwell — who played at three other universities before transferring to Texas.

• Nicknamed "Matty Ice" by his teammates, he was unfazed subbing in for Manning in overtime last week, throwing a beautiful touchdown pass for the win.

What they're saying: Sarkisian said at a press conference this week that Caldwell is "a very even-keeled guy."

For the record: Sarkisian's agents shot down a report that his team was in touch with the NFL about coaching vacancies as "patently false and wildly inaccurate."

If you go: Saturday's game kicks off at 11am at Texas Memorial Stadium and will air on ABC.