Texas walked out of Columbus with a loss, but the biggest loser on Saturday was not wearing a helmet.
It was ESPN’s Paul Finebaum, who spent the entire offseason championing Texas and Arch Manning as the future of college football. He went so far as to call Manning the best quarterback prospect since Tim Tebow. That kind of bold praise comes with consequences, and on Saturday, the results were brutal.
Manning’s performance against Ohio State was a disaster. He looked rattled from the opening drive, missed easy throws, turned the ball over, and struggled to keep the offense on schedule. Ohio State’s defense made him look inexperienced and out of sync, and by halftime, the narrative had flipped. The highly touted freshman did not look like a generational talent. He looked like a quarterback who was not ready for the moment.
What made the collapse even more glaring was Finebaum’s pregame commentary. “I really don’t even think this game is going to be close. Texas’ roster is better,” he said confidently. That statement aged poorly as Ohio State controlled the line of scrimmage, dictated tempo, and looked far more prepared on both sides of the ball. Finebaum’s takes, which once fed the offseason hype machine, were suddenly front and center for all the wrong reasons.
Finebaum has built his reputation on strong opinions and bold declarations, often leaning into SEC loyalty and polarizing soundbites. But on Saturday, the gap between his projections and reality was hard to ignore. Texas may still develop into a contender, and Arch Manning’s story is far from finished, but the tone around both took a serious hit.
There is nothing wrong with being wrong in sports media. It happens. But when you brand yourself as the authority of an overhyped conference and then miss this badly, it becomes part of the story. On a weekend filled with drama and early-season tests, Paul Finebaum’s credibility took one of the biggest hits of all.
