Paul Finebaum isn’t ready to close the door on Texas, even after a season that’s already included a pair of ugly losses and a tumble from No. 1 to No. 19.
That belief held firm Monday on ESPN’s First Take, where Finebaum argued the Longhorns still belong in the College Football Playoff picture even if they drop another game before the season is over.
“I think Texas is one of the 12 best teams in the country, whether they lose two games or three games. … They beat Ohio State, which may be one of the two best teams in the country, at home.
They also won at Tennessee, which inexplicably choked away a victory the other day, which hurts Texas. And they still have significant wins, and they had one the other night against Ole Miss, which has been a top-10 team for most of the season,” Finebaum said.
He didn’t stop there.
“I think (Texas) is one of the better teams in the country. They just happen to have screwed it around with that loss to Florida a couple weeks ago … but Florida may be back, that’s going to help them.”
Texas has done enough lately to stay in the conversation. After back-to-back losses to then-unranked teams, the Longhorns steadied themselves Saturday night with a 34-27 win over then-No.
7 Ole Miss. It was messy, especially after Texas blew a big lead at home on national TV, but the result got the Horns to 5-2.
The AP poll gave them a boost Sunday, moving Texas up eight spots to No. 11. Now comes another prime-time home test: Mississippi State visits Austin this Saturday in Week 9, and the Bulldogs arrive banged up.
The Longhorns are a heavy favorite in that matchup, and they still have five games left with two losses already on the board. Finebaum also pointed to Texas’s Nov. 14 trip to LSU as a key checkpoint for the playoff debate, but his stance remains clear: one more loss may not be enough to knock Texas out of the 12-team field.
Texas and Mississippi State kick off Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.
In Other News...
Ole Miss Just Won A Huge In-State Recruiting Battle
Ole Miss landed a major in-state recruiting win when Mitchell Turner, one of Mississippis top prospects and a four-star defensive lineman, announced he is officially committed to the Rebels and has closed his recruitment. Turner had drawn plenty of interest and kept looking at his options, including a visit to Alabama, but he ultimately settled back on the program closest to home, giving Ole Miss a significant addition on the defensive front.
For a Rebels staff trying to keep elite local talent from drifting elsewhere, this kind of commitment carries extra weight. Turners standing as a nationally ranked prospect only raises the stakes, and his upcoming appearance in the 2026 Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Game will give everyone another look at what Ole Miss is adding as it continues to build around the states best players. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Could Get A Timely Boost Up Front Vs Auburn
Ole Miss got through the Texas game without a sack allowed, but the offensive line still had to work around a key absence at right tackle. Terez Davis left that game with an injury and was held out as a precaution, a development that mattered even in a performance where the pass protection held up and the running game was not as sharp.
Pete Golding said Davis is expected back for the Auburn matchup, which would be a welcome bit of stability up front for a line trying to keep building on its pass-protection success. His return would also give the Rebels another piece to lean on as they look to find more balance on offense and avoid making that side of the ball do extra work. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Just Landed In A Postseason Picture Fans Will Debate
With the postseason picture still taking shape, ESPNs latest bowl projections have started to map out where the SECs top teams could land if the season ended right now. Kyle Bonagura and Mark Schlabach updated their matchups across the conference, and the list includes the familiar heavyweights along with the rest of the leagues crowded middle, all of it tied to current rankings and how teams have performed to this point.
For Ole Miss fans, the interest is less about the certainty of any one destination and more about the range of possibilities still in play. Projections this early are always fluid, especially with so many SEC teams still sorting themselves out, but they do offer a useful snapshot of how the Rebels fit into a postseason race that could keep shifting right up to the end of the regular season. [Read more 🡒]