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Paul Finebaum believes there’s a clear favorite to win the National Championship this season.
In an appearance on ‘Get Up’ this week, Finebaum was asked by Mike Greenberg if Texas should be considered the favorite to win it all in 2025-26. Finebaum emphatically said ‘yes,’ reminding viewers of Arch Manning’s QB1 status. Finebaum also brought up Texas’s transfer portal haul to replace some of what it lost off of last year’s team.
“Absolutely,” Finebaum said. “They have Arch Manning, in case you have not gotten that email from the front office. He is expected to be better than Quinn Ewers. I was not that impressed with Ewers last year. I think Arch Manning, had he come in Cotton Bowl, [Texas] may have had a better shot and maybe even beaten Ohio State. But he is going to be the leader of this team. They re-loaded in the portal to the tune of millions and millions of dollars. I think Texas, other than having to go to Ohio State in Week 1, is in great shape.”
Ewers had a down season in 2024 as he battled injuries throughout the year, so it’s entirely possible — if not likely — that Manning will produce at a higher level than Ewers during his first year as a starter. Manning showed promise last season in spot starts against Louisiana-Monroe and Mississippi State. Texas also regularly utilized Manning in red zone situations last season, so he picked up quite a bit of experience despite not being the full-time starter.
While Texas did make some transfer additions this offseason — most notably on the defensive line — the priority under Steve Sarkisian has been high school recruiting. The Longhorns took that to a new level in the 2025 recruiting cycle as they inked the No. 1-ranked class in the country, per 247Sports Composite rankings.
The betting markets happen to agree with Finebaum assessment. Texas and Ohio State are co-favorites to win the National Championship this year at +500, per the latest National Championship odds from BetMGM.
The Longhorns and Buckeyes, coincidentally, will kick off the 2025 season on Aug. 30 in Columbus.
Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
