Indiana became the 65th undefeated team to win a national championship after edging out the Miami Hurricanes 27-21 at Hard Rock Stadium. While much of the attention has focused on how head coach Curt Cignetti transformed the program in just two seasons, Paul Finebaum believes the result creates a much larger issue, particularly for the SEC.

Finebaum argues that Indiana’s title win highlights a growing imbalance between the SEC and the Big Ten Conference. The Hoosiers’ championship follows Ohio State’s title last season and Michigan’s championship in 2023, marking three consecutive years of Big Ten dominance on the sport’s biggest stage. For Finebaum, that trend signals a troubling sign for the SEC, which he voiced on The Matt Barrie Show.

“There’s a real crisis going on down here, and Indiana winning just made it worse,” Finebaum said on The Matt Barrie Show. “Because it’s not only an improbable story in college sports history, it’s going to change the dynamics.”

The last time an SEC program won a national championship was Georgia’s back-to-back titles in 2021 and 2022. Since then, the conference has watched the Big Ten seize control of the postseason spotlight, reinforcing Finebaum’s belief that the SEC is now playing catch-up.

Matt Barrie agreed with those concerns while pointing to the Texas Longhorns as the conference’s best hope to break the trend. He highlighted quarterback Arch Manning as the key figure capable of restoring SEC supremacy.

“I’m going to be very bullish on Texas this offseason,” Barrie said. “We finally have a real body of work on Arch Manning. They add Cam Coleman from Auburn and Raleek Brown from Arizona State. Texas is absolutely loaded, and they’re the team to beat in the SEC.”

Arch Manning delivered an impressive 2025 campaign, finishing the season with a 61.4 percent completion rate for 3,163 passing yards and 26 touchdowns. He also played a pivotal role in Texas’ deep postseason run, helping the Longhorns secure upset victories over Texas A&M, Ohio State, and Ole Miss on their way to a Citrus Bowl win. With the recent roster upgrades around him, Manning appears poised to take another leap forward, potentially becoming the face of the SEC’s push back to the top.

Texas has been aggressive in the transfer portal. Besides Coleman and Brown, the Longhorns added running back Hollywood Smothers, offensive tackle Melvin Siani, defensive lineman Ian Geffrard, linebacker Rasheem Biles, and cornerback Bo Mascoe, addressing key positional needs with top-tier talent.

The momentum continued with the addition of former Akron defender Markus Boswell, a versatile linebacker who can also play on the edge. Boswell became Texas’s 15th transfer commitment, showcasing just how serious Steve Sarkisian is about building a championship-caliber roster.

With those moves, Texas has emerged as an early favorite within the SEC. While traditional powers like Texas A&M and Georgia stumbled in the playoffs, and Ole Miss fell short in the semifinals, the Longhorns now stand as the conference’s clearest path back to national dominance.

Paul Finebaum believes that the SEC falloff is a billionaire problem

Another issue Paul Finebaum believes is contributing to the SEC’s declining dominance is the financial advantage held by the Big Ten Conference. According to Finebaum, Big Ten programs benefit from a stronger base of billionaire donors, while the SEC is falling behind in that area, forcing the conference to play catch-up.

Finebaum explained his perspective during an appearance on Matt Barrie’s show.

“We’re talking billionaires now, and outside of Texas and Texas A&M, the list of billionaires starts to get really thin,” Finebaum said. “I can tell you in the state of Alabama, there are two billionaires, only two in the entire state, and they’re both Auburn supporters. Alabama doesn’t have a billionaire.

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And why is a billionaire important, Matt? Because they can throw around money. You can do that if you’re worth $800 million, too, but it’s a lot easier when you’re a billionaire. You can fund NIL, facilities, and give your school whatever it needs.”

Finebaum believes this financial gap poses a significant long-term challenge for the SEC, especially as NIL continues to shape the competitive landscape of college football. But maybe the Longhorns, led by head coach Steve Sarkisian and quarterback Arch Manning, could potentially help restore the conference’s standing at the national level next season.