Paul Finebaum Needs To Make Up His Mind On Arch Manning, Texas Longhorns

Paul Finebaum, the orginiah champion for Texas Longhorns quarter back Arch Manning, makes his bold rest of season claim.

Sep 20, 2025; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) throws a pass during the first half against the Sam Houston Bearkats at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

The Texas Longhorns have gone through ups and downs to begin the season. They lost the opener to the Ohio State Buckeyes, followed by wins over a group of five teams, which left more question marks than it did answers.

This is especially true regarding quarterback Arch Manning, who looked rather pedestrian the first three weeks of the season. This was enough to get his biggest supporter, Paul Finebaum, off the hype train.

Now Finebaum is back, rallying the troops, and believes the Longhorns will make the College Football Playoffs, under the Mannings' direction, and he's entirely back in on the hype surrounding them.

Last Chance To Rally

Sep 20, 2025; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns wide receiver Ryan Niblett (21) is pushed out of bounds before the goal line by Sam Houston Bearkats linebacker Avery Moore (11) during the first half at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

Despite the Longhorns being 3-1 to start the season, they still have yet to live up to the expectations of those from the fans, analysts, and even the coaching staff's own goals for the team this year. A 55-0 win over the Sam Houston State Bearkats may have changed that, though, looking like a complete team in every facet of the game.

Although the dominant win came over one of the lowest-rated FBS teams in the country, it was still enough to add confidence and swagger to the struggling Longhorns' offense. That includes Manning, who benefited the most from the dominant performance, having his best game of the 2025 season, including a few stare downs in the end zone that generated social media interactions.

For Finebaum, that was enough to get him back on the train. As the loudest supporter of Manning and the Longhorns in their endeavors to bring back a National Championship to the Forty Acres, he has seen enough to put his trust back in them, just a few weeks removed from being completely out on them.

“Everybody wants to write Arch Manning and Texas off, but they still just have one loss. I think they’re going to come back,” Finebaum said Tuesday afternoon on SportsCenter with Matt Barrie. “And, Matt, call me crazy, I know you have many times … but they are still going to make the College Football Playoff. I know they started the season at No. 1 in the country, but they’ve fallen dramatically since then.”

The Longhorns are on their bye week now, getting a chance to take that energy and confidence from their week four win and carry it over into their first week of SEC play, where they will travel to Gainesville to take on the Florida Gators.

Finebaum might not be the first one to change course and jump back on the ship for the Longhorns, but after being against them and now for them, it might be too late after next week to change his mind again.