Paul Finebaum Didn't Hesitate to Name Texas' Biggest SEC Challengers

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Nate Lunak | Last updated Jul 16, 2025 10:57 AM ET

There's a lot of hype surrounding the Texas Longhorns going into the 2025 season, with many viewing them as one of the top national championship contenders now that quarterback Arch Manning is taking over.

ESPN analyst Paul Finebaum has shown a tremendous amount of faith in the team, even stating, "I think they'll be one of the two or three best teams in the country from the beginning. Win or lose against Ohio State, I still like their chances to win the SEC."

However, winning one of college football's best conferences won't be easy, and during a Wednesday appearance on ESPN's "Get Up", Finebaum went on to name the Longhorns' biggest challenger within the SEC going into the 2025 season.

“I think it’s Alabama,” Finebaum said. “A lot of people amazingly have forgotten about Alabama without Nick Saban. They missed the playoffs, they lost more games than they have since 2007, but I believe they are better at quarterback, and that sounds crazy with Ty Simpson against Jalen Milroe, who was amazing at times but also terrible at times. I think they have elite wide receivers; they have probably the second-best wide receiver in the country in Ryan Williams. Their defense is going to be top-notch. … I think they manage the season very well.”

.@finebaum believes Alabama will be the top challenger to Texas in the SEC pic.twitter.com/KfKISNGj1h
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) July 16, 2025

Of course, 2024 was certainly a down year for the Crimson Tide; yet, they still put together a 9-4 season, going 5-3 in SEC matchups while securing impressive wins over the No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs, No. 21 Missouri Tigers and No. 15 LSU Tigers.

However, much of their success does ride on the performance of Simpson, who certainly has a lot of potential. Coming out of high school in the 2022 recruiting class, he was listed as a five-star and the No. 2 quarterback.

Pairing him with someone like Williams could be the spark to help Alabama's offense, which last year had its ups and downs, ranking 22nd in points per game (33.8) and 42nd in total yards per game (410.2).

Now, it will remain to be seen if Finebaum's prediction becomes a reality, as there are several other SEC teams he could have chosen , with three others ranking within the top-10 of ESPN's Football Power Index , including Georgia (No. 2), the Texas A&M Aggies (No. 8) and Tennessee Volunteers (No. 10), while Alabama is No. 3.

Though the only way Texas and Alabama could face off this season is if they find themselves competing in the SEC Championship Game or the College Football Playoff, as they have no regular-season matchup scheduled.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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