Paul Finebaum’s take has the Ohio State Buckeyes having to play the best college football quarterback since Tim Tebow this season

The Ohio State Buckeyes got the monkey off their back last season when they went on one of the most impressive runs college football has seen in recent years, ultimately winning the National Championship.

It was crucial for head coach Ryan Day to get over the hump and capture a title in his sixth season, especially after coming close a couple of times previously. But heading into the 2025 season, the Buckeyes must chase those goals all over again—last year no longer matters.

Recently, ESPN analyst Paul Finebaum made a headline-grabbing statement while discussing college football’s most talked-about quarterback—the very one Ohio State will face to open the season.

Ohio State to face the best college quarterback since  Tim Tebow, according to Finebaum

“Had Arch Manning been inserted in the second half of that game (against Ohio State in the semifinals), like Nick Saban did a couple of years ago with Tua Tagovailoa, I think there’s a reasonably good chance that Texas beats Ohio State and wins the national championship,” Finebaum said recently on ESPN. “We’re very capable of doing it again this year. I also believe that Arch Manning is the best college football quarterback we’ve seen since Tim Tebow entered the scene in 2006.”