It was halftime of the College Football Playoff semifinals, and Texas trailed eventual national champion Ohio State by only a touchdown. Quinn Ewers wasn’t necessarily playing poorly, but Longhorns fans wanted to see No. 16 under center.

They had only gotten a glimpse of Arch Manning — two starts against overwhelmed opponents early in the season — but Texas fans were certain he could lead them to the promised land.

“I was walking around at halftime at the Cotton Bowl and I was stopped by 15 or 20 Texas fans, most of them fairly young, who were yelling at me, saying, ‘How come Quinn Ewers is still in the game?’ ” ESPN analyst and college football historian Paul Finebaum recalled in a phone interview.

He later added: “There was a sense, and quite frankly I believe it myself, that if Arch Manning had been inserted into the game against Ohio State, the result very likely might’ve been different.”