Paul Finebaum predicts Arch Manning will lead Texas to win national championship in 2025

ESPN’s Paul Finebaum predicted Arch Manning would lead Texas to a national championship victory this season. Sure, it’s his latest Manning take for the 2025 campaign, but Finebaum basically couldn’t believe that an SEC team would not win the title this year.

It’s been two straight years of the Big Ten: Michigan and Ohio State. But the CFP trophy will return to the conference he covers the most and it’ll be the Longhorns’ time to win it all.

It’s been 20 years since Texas won the national title and well over a decade since they last even appeared in the national championship. But with two semifinal appearances in a row, third time’s the charm for Texas and the SEC.

“I don’t want to scream ‘out’ this early in the morning, but I do not agree with that at all. Of course, I’m paid not to agree with that. I think the SEC will make it back to the championship game, and I think it’s going to be Texas,” Finebaum said on SportsCenter. “Yes, we’ve had plenty to say about Arch Manning, but that’s not the only thing that Steve Sarkisian has. He has the best team in the country, top to bottom, that is his best roster. He says that, not me, and for that reason, I think they may lose one game along the way, but they’re going to be the national champion when it’s over.”

Texas is talented on both sides of the football and there’s no doubt Manning has talent. However, he lacks experience compared to some of the other top quarterbacks in college football. 

Another defender of Manning? Fox Sports’ Joel Klatt who ranked Manning as a top five player in the sport already, despite just taking over Texas’ QB1 job.

“I know he hasn’t been a full-time starter. And I know that, like, people, I do think people are going to get – I don’t know about tired of the hype is the right word or thought to convey. But, like, Arch Manning deserves a spot on this list,” Klatt said. “There are some – and I get this, I get it. Like, listen, I get it. Because of his name, people roll their eyes and they’re like, ‘Hey, man, let him do something. Is he really that good?’. My answer is yes.”

“If you watch the film, if you actually see the way that he plays, the way that he moves, the throws that he can make? Texas could be a more dangerous offense because of Arch Manning. Now, you understand, like, they had the experience of Quinn Ewers. But Arch attacks the grass on the field in a different way.”