Paul Finebaum reveals which game will determine if Texas is truly 'back' in 2023

The Texas football hype train is only going to be picking up steam between now and the beginning of the college football season. And ESPN and SEC Network broadcaster Paul Finebaum added plenty of fuel to the fire on Friday, predicting the Longhorns could parlay an upset at Alabama into a lot more.

During a brief Friday afternoon hit on SportsCenter, Finebaum was asked for a college football prediction that others might not be on board with. His answer was unequivocal: Texas will compete for a spot in the College Football Playoff in 2023.

“They’re going to be the pick to win the Big 12. But … they have Alabama in Week 2, in Tuscaloosa. You will see on College GameDay that day upsets picked. I promise you that. [And] if they pull that one off, they’re going to be off and running,” Finebaum said. “They have one of the best quarterbacks in the country [in Quinn Ewers]. They have the most famous freshman in the country in Arch Manning. And I think they’ve got a shot at getting to the Playoff and a legitimate shot this time.”

Beating Alabama in Tuscaloosa in Week 2 is a pretty hefty “if” to predicate things on, but after losing to Alabama by a point in 2022, there’s reason to believe the Longhorns could return the favor in 2023.

For one, starting quarterback Quinn Ewers staying healthy for the whole game would certainly seem to give Texas a leg up. He was knocked out with an injury in the first half of the contest against the Crimson Tide last year. And on the other sideline, Alabama will still be breaking in a new starting quarterback.

And surrounding Ewers is a constellation of elite pass catching talent. Xavier Worthy and Ja’Tavion Sanders alone would be enough for most teams, but the Longhorns can also factor in the likes of Isaiah Neyor, AD Mitchell and Johntay Cook into the mix. There aren’t many teams that can rival the Longhorns’ array of talent at wideout and tight end.

Defensively, the Longhorns are as deep and talented as they’ve been in the two-plus seasons that Steve Sarkisian has been head coach. Linebacker Jaylan Ford should be one of the best defenders in the Big 12.

Simply: There’s a lot of reason to say Texas could, in fact, be back.

And though Finebaum offered that idea up as a prediction, he did acknowledge it’s a prediction countless folks have made before him. And a prediction that has blown up in many faces.

“I hope [Matthew] McConaughey isn’t watching screaming out, ‘We’re back, Texas is back!’ Texas is always back,” Finebaum said.