Paul Finebaum still out on Texas as SEC contender after win in Red River Rivalry

Texas got back on track on Saturday with a 23-6 win over No. 6 Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry. However, the Longhorns’ much-needed victory didn’t do much to change their present postseason hopes to either one of ESPN’s Paul Finebaum or Heather Dinich.

Appearing on ‘SportsCenter’ on Monday, Finebaum and Dinich reacted to Texas’ win this weekend, and how it affects their chances of still making the SEC Championship. Neither thought it had the Longhorns back in contention to be in Atlanta, starting with Finebaum as he cited what’s left on their schedule and them already have one loss in league play from down in The Swamp.

“Not fine,” said Finebaum. “You know how big a fan I’ve been of Texas all year and Arch Manning. But, I don’t think the schedule really sets up very well for them. They have to go to Georgia. They have some other very difficult games. That loss already is really going to wreak havoc with them at Florida. They should not have had that loss, and I think it will cost them getting to Atlanta.”

Dinich agreed in her response, also noting that slate they have left with matchups still versus Vanderbilt, at Georgia, and against Texas A&M, all of which are currently in the Top-20, without also mentioning a road trip to Starkville. Winning over Oklahoma in Dallas was a step in the right direction, but it wasn’t enough of one to start talking about the SEC Championship again, let alone the CFP.

“Not fine. I mean, I can’t believe Paul and I agree again on this, but he’s right. And the reality is there’s two things that are going on here. You mentioned the schedule? They have the 15th most-difficult schedule remaining in the country. If they lose one more game, this conversation changes entirely. But the other too is, this is the first time we’ve seen them play the most complete game, first time they’ve beaten a ranked opponent or a Power Four opponent. This is a baby step – a big one, but a baby one.”

At the very least, Texas is on the board with a power-level win, and a conference one at that, with a victory in Red River. However, with what’s still ahead of them in the back half of their schedule, the Longhorns still have a lot to do, all but certainly needing to win out, to be back within the postseason picture, whether in the SEC or the College Football Playoff.