ESPN host Michael Wilbon did not hide his disdain Tuesday for the current state of college football coverage.
Some of the biggest names in the sport stumbled out of the gate in Week 1. Texas quarterback Arch Manning underwhelmed in his debut as the Longhorns’ full-time starter. The Manning family’s latest torchbearer was rendered ineffective in Texas’ 14-7 loss to Ohio State, going 17/30 for 170 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
A pair of wunderkind wide receivers in Alabama’s Ryan Williams and Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith both performed poorly to open their sophomore campaigns as well. Smith caught six passes for 43 yards, while Williams tallied five grabs for 30 yards. The Crimson Tide star also suffered a concussion that ended his outing early.
During Tuesday’s episode of “Pardon the Interruption,” Wilbon was asked to share his overarching thoughts on the first week of college football. The veteran sports commentator called out his peers for building up what he perceived to be unrealistic expectations on young stars such as Manning and Smith.
"I don't want major media … to just ruin the watching of college football for me by exaggerating THE HELL OUT OF EVERYTHING."
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 2, 2025
Ladies and gentlemen, Michael Wilbon: pic.twitter.com/xjncdvLn25
“Here’s what stood out to me in Week 1 and all the days leading up to Week 1,” said Wilbon. “I don’t want mass media, major media, networks, including people we like to call our friends, to just ruin the watching of college for me, the consumption of college football by exaggerating the hell out of everything. By overstating everything.
“Arch Manning is not Peyton, or Eli, or Archie just yet. Just let them simmer a little bit. Jeremiah Smith, he is not Jerry Rice just yet. I heard somebody I like a lot … say he’s the best college football player I’ve ever seen. You know what my recommendation would be? Watch more college football over the last 50 years, because he ain’t the best I’ve seen.”
It’s easy to see Wilbon’s point. Given the current state of sports media, exaggerating and overhyping are commonplace in every publication’s quest to secure the most eyeballs.
Wilbon himself would probably admit to being guilty of doing it himself at times. But if every prospect, game, or play is hyped up to be the best, then it’s hard for fans’ expectations to ever be met.
