Paul Finebaum: Texas is a College Football Playoff team if they finish 9-3

Paul Finebaum is ready to put Texas into the College Football Playoff after their win over Ole Miss Saturday. Steve Sarkisian and Arch Manning might actually make the dance after missing out last year when they were 9-3. But that’s just the thing, 9-3 might actually get the Longhorns in for real this year. Finebaum made the argument that this is the year where a 9-3 team will actually get into the CFP based on all of the carnage over the last two weeks. We’re not counting Alabama last year since they made the SEC Championship and were 10-3 going into the CFP last year before winning a game and ultimately finishing 11-4 and 1-1 in the postseason. $19.99 gets you a FULL year of On3 | Rivals national coverage “Yeah, I’m going to say right now there will be a 9-3 and there should be more,” Finebaum said on The Matt Barrie Show. “And I’m just so tired Matt. Two weeks before we start getting the groupthink from Grapevine, Texas, of having them dictate to us what we see with our own eyes. Texas is a playoff team if they finish 9-3, they have a win in Tennessee, they beat Ohio State, and they won that game last night … You know, if you’re looking for carnage, park yourself in Baton Rouge at Tiger Stadium because that’s where Alabama and Texas will next visit in terms of these monster games, and much will be determined … “But I don’t know why Texas isn’t a legitimate 9-3 team, even if it loses to LSU. We’re talking about a really incredible schedule, and I realize there’s a couple more games, and their schedule could not be weirder the way they play all these home games and then go on the road for the end of the season. It is a flawed team, but I’ll take it against a lot of the stuff I’ve seen around college football, and I dare say you will too.” Can Texas afford a third loss and still make CFP? Sarkisian and Texas knew they had to have the 34-27 win over Ole Miss. If they lost their third straight game this weekend, perhaps massive changes would be on the horizon. “Let me be the first to tell you. We were not perfect tonight, by any means,” Sarkisian said postgame. “We had an opportunity to be closer to perfect, but we get sack fumbled. They get a touchdown. They get momentum. We got 14 penalties for 134 yards. We’re 3 of 13 on third down. “So there’s things in the game that we need to come back and we need to fix. Okay, but I’m proud of our team, but I know there’s even better out there for us, and there’s going to need to be better coming from us as we move forward in our conference.” It’s a win and Texas is now 5-2 on the year. THe schedule doesn’t lighten up as Finebaum pointed out. They have quality wins and there could be more coming with Mississippi State, Missouri, LSU, Arkansas and Texas A&M remaining.