“The single biggest moment in the history of the league” - Paul Finebaum couldn't keep calm as Texas officially joins the SEC
Long-time SEC commentator Paul Finebaum is celebrating the arrival of the Longhorns. There is a new SEC, with Texas and Oklahoma joining the conference today. Finebaum believes this is a momentous occasion for the league, possibly the biggest in America's premier athletic conference history. When asked today on "SEC Today" what he thought the accession of Texas meant for the conference, Finebaum said:
"The single biggest moment in the history of the league."
Before the program, during the celebrations at the campus of the University of Texas in Austin, he also said the following about the Longhorns joining the SEC:
“This is a singular moment in the history of the SEC, I know that you’ll accuse me of shifting a little hyperbole with my barbecue ribs here today, but I really do think it’s the most important moment in the history of the league, because there’s never been anything like this.”
Not only is Texas joining the SEC, but Oklahoma is too. The SEC was arguably already the country's most dominant athletic conference, and with Texas and Oklahoma's addition, it became a powerhouse like none other.
It seems we are moving away from a Power Five scheme, to a Power Two system. Only the Big Ten seems to have what it takes to compete with the SEC sporting and business-wise (as if the two aren't highly intertwined) in the long term.
Paul Finebaum on the possibility of Arch Manning becoming Texas Longhorns starter
With the big personalities of the world of college sports media attending the celebrations at the University of Texas, there was no shortage of opportunities to discuss everything Longhorns. Paul Finebaum spoke with the media and was specifically asked who he thought the quarterback of the future is for Texas and who would be the starter at the end of 2024, to which he replied:
"That will be Arch Manning. I don't need to tiptoe around that. That is guaranteed. You heard it."
It was left unclear if Paul Finebaum thought that last year's starter Quinn Ewers would struggle this year. Given his high level of confidence in the Longhorns' future, it seems unlikely that's what he meant. More likely, he believes Arch Manning will be the successor to Quinn Ewers come the end of the season.