Talkin’ Season is rolling, and the SEC is once again at the center of the conversation as college football inches toward the 2026 kickoff. The league has spent the last three seasons outside the national championship picture, but the path back to the top still starts the same way: win the SEC.
Paul Finebaum thinks Texas is the team best positioned to do it.
“I know it’s easy to say and we all say it, but I do think this is Sarkisian’s year. I don’t think that is the ultimate goal for him,” Finebaum said while projecting Texas will win the SEC championship on On3 Sports.
That view lines up with where the Longhorns stood a year ago, when AP top 25 voters put them at No. 1 in the country for the first time in school history. But that hype took a hit fast after Arch Manning’s rough first start in a loss at Ohio State. Texas sat at 3-2 in mid-October before flipping the script with a stronger second half, capped by a win over undefeated rival Texas A&M and then Michigan in the postseason.
Now Manning has more help around him, including transfer running back Hollywood Smothers, who ran for 939 yards last season, and Cam Coleman, the No. 1 national transfer wide receiver and former five-star Auburn commitment.
Ohio State is back in the picture again, only this time the Buckeyes head to Austin for a huge Week 2 matchup that will shape the early conversation around Texas all over again.
Georgia is still very much in the hunt, too. Kirby Smart brings back what should be another loaded defense and an expected dozen total starters, along with quarterback Gunner Stockton after a strong run at the helm. The offense may not be flashy, but it should be efficient, especially with seven blockers returning with starting experience.
LSU has also pushed into the mix after an active offseason that included the hiring of Lane Kiffin as head coach and a roster packed with playmakers.
Ole Miss is fresh off a College Football Playoff run and has Trinidad Chambliss and Kewan Lacy back to drive the offense.
Oklahoma and Texas A&M have both made recruiting noise and each enters with strong defenses plus quarterbacks who have real SEC experience.
Alabama, meanwhile, is trying to show Kalen DeBoer is the right man for the job, and it should have a tough defense with questions answered at quarterback and in the backfield.
There’s a long road to Championship Saturday, and the SEC has no shortage of teams that can make a push. But in early August, Finebaum has picked up on the momentum, and he’s putting Texas at the front of the line.
In Other News...
Texas A&M Suddenly Faces A 2027 RB Recruiting Problem
Texas A&Ms 2027 running back picture looked manageable not long ago, with Jamarion Morrow, KJ Edwards and Carsyn Baker already in the pipeline. But the board shifted quickly when five-star back Laden Williams-Callis chose Texas, giving the Aggies a reminder that elite in-state battles can change the conversation before a class is even fully built. Even so, the staff is still working the position from multiple angles, keeping tabs on four-star Texas Tech commit SaRod Baker while continuing communication with Williams-Callis.
The deeper issue is how that pursuit could ripple through the room. Four-star Texas A&M commit Noah Roberts is part of the 2027 group already, but the backfield math can get complicated fast when top-end talent starts stacking up and everyone is looking for a clear path. For the Aggies, the next stretch will be about more than landing one more name, because how the staff handles this recruiting cycle could shape who stays bought in as the class takes form. [Read more 🡒]
Texas A&M Faces A Real Test To Keep Its Top 2027 Commit
Texas A&Ms 2027 recruiting class still carries plenty of weight even after the loss of five-star running back Landen Williams-Callis to Texas, and the Aggies have one of the biggest anchors in the cycle in five-star offensive tackle Mark Matthews. He has already committed to Texas A&M, giving the class a premier line piece and another signal that the Aggies can still sell their vision early in the cycle.
Mark Matthews, though, is not completely off the board yet, and that is where the tension sits for Texas A&M. He has spoken strongly about his bond with the Aggies coaching staff and his fit in the class, but the recruitment remains active enough to keep the door open to outside noise, which is exactly why the next stretch matters for a program trying to protect its top commitment. [Read more 🡒]
Texas A&M Recruiting Momentum Is Starting To Feel Relentless
As Texas A&M gets ready for its 2026 season opener against Missouri State, the programs attention is already stretching well beyond the immediate schedule. The Aggies have been stacking work in the 2027 and 2028 recruiting cycles, and the early returns suggest the momentum is not slowing down anytime soon. They are close to securing the No. 1-ranked 2027 class, a sign that the long game is starting to line up in a big way.
The 2028 group is already taking shape too, with four-star edge Chance Archangel on board and more major targets trending toward College Station. Among the names to watch is four-star athlete Zion Anderson, one of the top prospects in California for that cycle, as Texas A&M continues to push for another national-level haul. For a program trying to keep its roster pipeline as deep as its ambitions, the recruiting picture is beginning to look relentless. [Read more 🡒]