Arch Manning and 4 other superstars who need a huge Week 11 to keep their teams in the CFP picture

Teams in College Football Playoff contention need their biggest stars to deliver during November’s defining moments. With only a few precious weeks remaining to sway the selection committee, the pressure is mounting and the margin for error has officially vanished.

It’s that time of year when, as coaches are fond of saying, their best players have to be their best players. And if these marquee names don’t put their teams on their backs this weekend, their playoff hopes could be in varying degrees of trouble:

Arch Manning, QB, Texas

There’s simply no brighter spotlight this weekend than the one on Arch Manning. He’s leading his two-loss Texas team into Death Valley to face a supremely desperate LSU team in the closest thing the New Orleans native has to a homecoming.

The Longhorns, at No. 6 in the latest rankings, are in playoff position. And they have a resume that includes wins against Ohio State, Tennessee, Mississippi and Missouri. Does that leave enough wiggle room to make the 12-team field with a third loss? Probably — but why chance it? Manning can go a long way toward cementing that postseason berth with a big night against the three-loss Tigers, who are reeling after Alabama swept into Baton Rouge last week and routed them 31-13.

Darian Mensah, QB, Miami

Darian Mensah is dealing with a lot this weekend. His formerly top-ranked Hurricanes dropped six spots to No. 7 after their 31-24 loss last week at Notre Dame. Another loss, and Miami could slip to bubble territory — not exactly a safe space in the Atlantic Coast Conference, which is not exactly guaranteed multiple bids.

So he needs a get-right game in the worst way. That won’t be easy, because for the opponent — Duke — this one is personal. Mensah led the Blue Devils to the ACC title last year, announced last December that he would stay at Duke — only to enter the transfer portal in January. Duke took the drastic step of suing Mensah to stop him from hitting the portal; they settled it a week later, with Mensah reportedly paying Duke liquidated damages before signing with Miami. Now the two parties meet again, not in a courtroom but on the field.

Jeremiah Smith, WR, Ohio State

There has been no better receiver in the nation than Jeremiah Smith, who spent much of the season as the Heisman Trophy front-runner. But when the Buckeyes lost the quarterback tasked with getting him the ball to a shoulder injury, they also lost two straight, a slide that has put their playoff hopes on the thinnest of ice. Is it fair to ask for even more from Smith, who ranks in the top five nationally in catches (69), yards receiving (1,200) and touchdown receptions (14)? Perhaps not, but embattled coach Ryan Day and offensive coordinator Arthur Smith must get creative in finding ways to get him the ball, now that Julian Sayin (shoulder) can’t throw it his way.

Austin Simmons, QB, Missouri

Austin Simmons might have the toughest task of any player on this list. He’s bringing his three-loss Missouri team between the hedges to face Georgia, which slid into the No. 1 spot in the CFP rankings after a 42-7 road humiliation of a top-15 Mississippi team. The Tigers flat-out have zero margin for error — both in this game because of the opponent they face, and on the remaining schedule because with three losses, another defeat would all but eliminate them. So the pressure is Simmons and Missouri on to be perfect. His 18-to-2 touchdown-to-interception ratio could be a sign he’s up for the challenge.

Jayden Maiava, QB, USC

Will the real Southern California Trojans please stand up? Are they the team that started 6-1 and two weeks ago smashed then-No. 2 Ohio State? Or are they the group that was routed at home by Oregon and smoked at Wisconsin? That Ohio State win not only cooled coach Lincoln Riley’s seat for the time being, but it also put the Trojans back in the playoff discussion, and now it’s up to Maiava to keep them there. He and USC have a prime opportunity to make a statement when they visit reigning national champion Indiana in a matchup with massive Big Ten and playoff implications.