Whereas once upon a time SEC analyst Paul Finebaum was very high on the Texas Longhorns, now, ESPN’s mouth of the South seems contrastingly low on one the conference’s newest members.

“I am horns down,” Finebaum said over the weekend, when asked about Texas’ chances of qualifying for the College Football Playoff, according to Sports Illustrated. “They have made a nice comeback and Arch is looking very good, but their schedule is daunting.”

“Remember, they still have to go to Georgia,” Finebaum added. “[Georgia] is a top-five team. They have to deal with Texas A&M on the final Friday of the regular season. I don’t think they can get through both and I think their playoff hopes will end somewhere very soon.”

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING ABOUT THE LONGHORNS

Austin American-Statesman: High marks for Texas football after home win over Vanderbilt

Dallas Morning News: The Texas Longhorns aced their first November test but more await: ‘Everybody is hungry’

247Sports: Four Downs: Texas’ offense is finally ready, CJ Baxter’s humility, lack of patience in college sports, and more

Inside Texas: Arch Manning has played great football over the past few weeks

ICYMI IN BURNT ORANGE NATION

Texas makes big jumps in both polls

No. 20 Texas 34, No. 9 31 Vanderbilt : Five observations and Sunday chat

Poor officiating caused Texas to lose composure in the fourth quarter against Vanderbilt

Inside the Numbers: The good and the ugly of the Texas defense

Inside Texas: Texas is trending up with flip targets and elite recruits in Austin for win over Vandy

Inside Texas: Texas still recruiting four-star Baylor commit Jamarion Carlton after impressive visit

Inside Texas: Nation’s No. 1 WR Easton Royal recaps Texas game, Austin experience

Inside Texas: 2027 four-star WR Trey Haralson talks Texas offer, upcoming visit

Austin American-Statesman: Disputed late calls and Diego Pavia aside, Texas held off Vanderbilt

Dallas Morning News: Steve Sarkisian breaks down what went wrong for Texas in fourth quarter vs. Vanderbilt

247Sports: Horns247 Staff Roundtable: What gives us confidence Texas can beat Georgia?

247Sports: Fifteen more thoughts on Texas’ 34-31 home win over No. 9 Vanderbilt

247Sports: PFF Grades: Texas football’s scores in 34-31 win over Vanderbilt

Inside Texas: Texas makes the most of its possessions and beats Vanderbilt at its own game

Inside Texas: 2025 Vanderbilt Post Mortem: Defense

Inside Texas: 2025 Vanderbilt Post Mortem: Offense

Inside Texas: Top PFF defensive grades from Texas’ 34-31 win over Vanderbilt on Saturday

Inside Texas: Top PFF offensive grades from Texas’ 34-31 win over Vanderbilt on Saturday

Inside Texas: Texas Rewatch: Longhorns jump all over Vanderbilt early before things get tight late

Good Bull Hunting: Texas A&M remains at 3 after idle week

Rock M Nation: Pourover: Mizzou hoops count the ‘ifs’

Red Cup Rebellion: Ole Miss runs through South Carolina, 30-14

Rocky Top Talk: Tennessee drops substantially in the polls after loss to Oklahoma

Dawg Sports: What was Billy Gonzales thinking?

A Sea Of Blue: Hugh Freeze fired by Auburn after losing to Mark Stoops and Kentucky

SB Nation: The Chicago Bears miracle comeback against the Bengals nearly killed me

SB Nation: Travon Walker ejected for punch in Jaguars-Raiders

SB Nation: The longest field goals in NFL history, updated after Cam Little’s 68-yarder

NEWS ACROSS LONGHORN NATION AND BEYOND