Paul Finebaum Names The Four Best Teams In College Football Without Hesitation originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The 2025 college football season is just under two weeks away from starting, with the kickoff set for Aug. 23 during Week 0 games.
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As the season approaches, projections from national college football experts are beginning to emerge. One such expert is ESPN’s Paul Finebaum, who was asked on his show, “The Paul Finebaum Show,” about his predictions for the best teams in the sport.
Without hesitation, Finebaum named four teams he believes are the safest bets to contend for the national championship. Two of these teams are from the SEC, one is from the Big Ten, and the other is from the ACC.
Texas Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian and quarterback Arch Manning.© Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK
“If I had to live or die with two or three, I would go with Texas, Penn State, Clemson and Alabama,” Finebaum said. “I think those are the safest bets.”
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Paul Finebaum Thinks Texas Is the Best SEC Team in 2025
Finebaum is highly optimistic about the Longhorns in 2025. A significant reason for this is what Steve Sarkisian has built; Finebaum has previously referred to them as the best team in the SEC.
“Texas will be the preseason pick to win the SEC,” Finebaum said. “Then you will get a lot of Alabama. You’re going to get a lot of LSU, and Georgia is in there somewhere. I don’t think Tennessee is going to be in that top tier.”
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Texas is facing a substantial roster turnover as the new season approaches, having lost a significant amount of production from last year. The team ranks No. 103 in returning production, with only 29 percent of its offensive players returning, placing the Longhorns at No. 126 in the nation.
This situation involves replacing three-year starting quarterback Quinn Ewers with Arch Manning, who was the top-ranked player in the 2023 recruiting class. Arch is the grandson of legendary college quarterback Archie Manning and the nephew of NFL stars Peyton and Eli Manning. Over his first two years, Manning has thrown for 969 yards, nine touchdowns, and two interceptions, although his playing time has been limited.
Paul Finebaum Questions if James Franklin Can Lead Penn State to a National Championship
Penn State is another team Finebaum mentioned. While he likes the Nittany Lions, he questions whether Franklin can lead them to a national championship.
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“I think Penn State is very good, I think everybody agrees with me on that,” Finebaum said. “Do I think they can win the national championship? No. I don’t think James Franklin is good enough.”
There is much optimism surrounding Penn State as the team returns several key players, including quarterback Drew Allar, running backs Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton, and defensive linemen Dani Dennis-Sutton and Zane Durant. Overall, the team retains 63 percent of its production, placing 33rd in the nation.
Paul Finebaum Thinks Clemson is Back to National Championship Contention
Finebaum has often criticized the Tigers, but he believes this year’s team has the potential to contend for a national championship.
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“I think Clemson is in the national championship race,” Finebaum said. “I think they’re finally back to that.”
Clemson is ranked No. 1 in the nation for returning production, with over 80% of their output returning. In fact, they are the only team in college football to reach this milestone.
Several key players are returning this season, including cornerback Avieon Terrell, quarterback Cade Klubnik, defensive tackle Peter Woods, EDGE T.J. Parker and linebacker Sammy Brown. Each of these athletes is ranked among the top 100 players in College Football Network’s rankings for the 2025 season.
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Paul Finebaum Believes Alabama Bounces Back From Disappointing Season
The Crimson Tide had a challenging season last year, finishing 9-4 in Kalen DeBoer’s inaugural season as head coach. However, with a significant change at offensive coordinator, Finebaum believes they have the potential to return to the College Football Playoff.
“I think if Alabama goes to the playoffs this year, and I think they will, the reason why they didn’t go last year was [Ryan] Grubb’s decision to take the NFL job, instead of staying in Tuscaloosa,” Finebaum said. “I think he’s that important.”
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Grubb had worked on DeBoer’s staff at several programs but decided to take the Seattle Seahawks’ offensive coordinator job when DeBoer left the Washington Huskies for Alabama. Grubb was not retained by the Seahawks after the 2024 season and rejoined DeBoer in Tuscaloosa.
A crucial aspect of the season is the competition for the starting quarterback position. It appears that Ty Simpson, a former five-star recruit, will be the starting quarterback. He will be competing against Austin Mack, who was originally committed to Grubb and DeBoer at Washington before following DeBoer to Alabama, as well as five-star Keelon Russell.
The challenge for these players is their lack of experience. Simpson has only thrown 50 passes in his career, totaling 381 yards. Mack has attempted just three passes, while Russell has yet to attempt a pass.
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These teams have many reasons to be optimistic, and Finebaum has contributed to this by naming them the top four teams in college football as the season begins.
Related: Paul Finebaum Didn’t Hesitate When Naming The Best Team in the Big Ten
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 10, 2025, where it first appeared.
