Paul Finebaum Predicts What Team Will Win the SEC in 2025

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jaron Spor | Last updated May 7, 2025 10:00 AM ET

The SEC has been widely regarded as the best conference in college football for nearly two decades, with the Alabama Crimson Tide and Georgia Bulldogs dominating for more than 10 years. Since 2014, the Crimson Tide and Bulldogs have won 10 of the 11 national championships, with the exception being the 2019 LSU Tigers.

The Texas Longhorns have emerged as a team determined to break this streak. In 2024, Texas made its SEC debut and faced Georgia in its first appearance in the SEC Championship Game, pushing it into overtime. Ultimately, the Longhorns lost to the Bulldogs with a score of 22-19.

However, on "The Paul Finebaum Show," the SEC Network analyst expressed optimism that Texas has a strong chance of overcoming this challenge in the upcoming season.

"There's a lot of replacing going on at Texas," Finebaum said. "But, nobody, and I mean nobody, did better in the portal or spent more money than the University of Texas. So, I think they are going to be in good shape depth-wise. It may take a little while, although I don't think it will. 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."

While Texas had a strong season last year, the team heads into 2025 facing significant challenges in replacing key players. The Longhorns rank No. 103 in total production for this season, with only 45% of their previous production returning. The most notable losses include quarterback Quinn Ewers, defensive tackles Alfred Collins and Vernon Broughton, wide receivers Matthew Golden and Isaiah Bond, cornerback Jahdae Barron and four out of five starting offensive linemen, particularly left tackle Kelvin Banks Jr.

Arch Manning, the grandson of legendary college quarterback Archie Manning and the nephew of NFL stars Peyton and Eli Manning, will replace Ewers. Manning comes into the season with considerable hype, having thrown for 969 yards, nine touchdowns and two interceptions during his two seasons at Texas, primarily serving as a backup.

Despite losing a significant amount of production, Texas has secured the top recruiting class in the country and the No. 9 transfer portal class, based on the players' average grade, this offseason. With these new additions and Manning leading the team, Finebaum believes that Texas has a strong chance to overcome challenges and win the SEC in 2025.

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

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