The SEC’s most polarizing commentator has found a new hill to die on. This time, it’s the Texas Longhorns. Fringe playoff team or not, Paul Finebaum isn’t waiting for the committee to speak. After the Longhorns knocked off Texas A&M, he jumped in with one of his strongest postseason pitches yet.

“Texas decided to go to Ohio State and play a meaningful game,” Finebaum said. “One of the biggest games in college football. Had they played Kennesaw State, which Indiana played, or Oklahoma State, one of the worst teams in the country, which Oregon played, they wouldn’t be in this situation. In my mind, Texas belongs in the College Football Playoff even with that record.”

Even with three losses still hanging on their resume after the victory over Aggies, Finebaum isn’t convinced Texas should be counted out. In his view, the Longhorns remain capable of sneaking into the playoff field on Selection Sunday. Defeating Texas A&M 27-17 certainly strengthened their case, but those earlier stumbles remain tough to overlook. Their October loss to a 4-4 Florida team is still considered the season’s low point, and understandably so. Dropping that game put a noticeable dent in the Longhorns’ postseason outlook.

Add on the blowout 35-10 blowout against Georgia. Those losses have stuck like a stain on Texas’s resume, pushing it down the playoff bubble. Even Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian hasn’t backed off his belief that Texas deserves a real shot at the postseason. To him, any team that starts its season by stepping outside the conference and taking on the defending national champions has already shown the kind of competitive intent the committee claims to value.

“We’re absolutely a playoff team, and worthy of an opportunity to play for a national championship.” Said Sarkisian.

Still, even with Finebaum and the head coach amplifying the campaign, the broader landscape isn’t easy to ignore. Several contenders boast cleaner resumes, steadier performances, and wins that hold up stronger under scrutiny. And if the committee were ever inclined to give a three-loss team the benefit of the doubt, it probably wouldn’t be the one that dropped a game to a program that unraveled so badly it wound up firing its head coach and missing the postseason.

There are stretches where Texas looks absolutely worthy of the stage they’re lobbying for. But the committee doesn’t grade on potential; it grades on metrics. And no amount of conference pride or televised advocacy can erase the weight of that collapse in Gainesville. Should Texas somehow find its way into the bracket, they’d be venturing into territory no three-loss team has ever reached. So, Paul Finebaum can rest his case before he actually loses his job with the fans attacking him.

Fans double down on Paul Finebaum’s love for Texas

Fans swarmed Paul Finebaum and blasted him after he pushed for Texas to make the playoffs. “5th place teams don’t belong in the playoff,” a fan wrote. It stems from a traditional view that playoff spots should be reserved for conference champions and the top teams that clearly dominate their schedules. Right now in the SEC, Georgia, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, and Alabama are ahead of the Longhorns. Georgia and Texas A&M were the only top-4 SEC teams to make their place in the playoffs with a bye week.

So, now scooching in Texas will not look nice for the Committee because they have more deserving teams from other conferences. “I really don’t listen to Paul Finebaum much. Because if it were up to him, it would be an SEC national championship tournament,” another fan chimed in. “And everybody else would just go to a bowl game somewhere.” Finebaum’s strong SEC bias is well-known in college football circles. He frequently champions the SEC as the toughest conference, often implying that its teams are inherently superior.

“The campaign to get Arch a playoff game for ratings purposes is underway, started one minute into GameDay,” a fan hit straight to the gut. “Texas as a team has no business in the CFP.” The hype around Arch Manning was tremendous during the offseason. But as the season began, all of it came blowing back. Texas, which is carrying the burden with three losses, can never get into the playoffs just so the Manning heir can get his first playoff start. “Absolutely not!!!! This argument would be valid if Texas hadn’t laid an egg against Florida. But here we are,” another fan wrote. “And I’m an SEC girl through and through, but even I can admit there are more deserving teams out there!”

The frustration is real; that loss against Florida was the final nail in the coffin for Texas. Poor O-line was written all over in that 29-21 loss. Texas’ running backs put up only 11 rushing yards on nine carries (not counting Manning’s scrambles), and the O-line gave up four sacks. Manning had a few bright spots, but his two fourth-quarter picks killed any shot at a comeback. Surprisingly, the defense, usually one of Texas’ strongest units, gave up a season-high 159 rushing yards.