Arch Manning-led Texas Longhorns labeled SEC’s best by Paul Finebaum
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The start of the 2026 college football season is so close that you can almost taste it.
The hype surrounding Arch Manning and the Texas Longhorns continues to reach new heights ahead of the 2026 college football season.
ESPN’s Paul Finebaumdidn’t mince words when discussing Steve Sarkisian’s squad, calling Texas not only one of the nation’s elite teams but the standard in the SEC entering the season.
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“They have one of the best rosters, if not the best, in all of college football,” Finebaum said. “Certainly the best in the SEC. They have to get to the title game.”
Texas is entering the season with legitimate national championship aspirations, and much of that optimism revolves around Manning. The former five-star recruit is now the face of one of college football’s most talented rosters and carries the weight of enormous expectations. 2025 did not pan out the way Manning and the Longhorns had hoped, but that doesn’t mean this upcoming season will be the same.
Fortunately for the Longhorns, Manning won’t have to do it alone.
Texas contains one of the deepest rosters in the country on both sides of the ball, with playmakers at nearly every position. Sarkisian has recruited at an elite level for several years, and that talent has created a roster capable of competing with anyone in college football.
“Texas is the team to beat,” Finebaum said. “They have the goods in every department.”
Of course, talent alone doesn’t win championships. The Longhorns learned that lesson in recent years, and the pressure only intensifies now that they’re viewed as an SEC favorite. Every opponent will treat Texas like the team to beat, and anything short of reaching the conference championship game would likely be viewed as a disappointment.
Finebaum’s comments reflect just how much confidence exists around the program entering 2026. Finebaum said the same thing on Get-Up as well.
Now it’s up to Manning and the Longhorns to prove the hype is justified. If Texas truly has the SEC’s best roster, then the path to Atlanta, and perhaps the College Football Playoff, should be there for the taking.
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