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The time for bold predictions is here, with SEC Media Days now in full swing. And a man known for making many of them over the years dropped a couple highly interesting ones on Tuesday on SportsCenter AM: Paul Finebaum.
The popular host of The Paul Finebaum Show chimed in from Tampa on two high-profile topics: Arch Manning‘s Heisman hopes and LSU‘s playoff chances.
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Here’s what the grizzled media veteran had to say about each, making predictions on whether Manning would take home college football’s top award and whether the Tigers would pounce on a playoff berth.
Arch Manning to win Heisman Trophy?
The Texas quarterback is getting some of the most press to take home college football’s most storied hardware. For good reason, too. He’s going into his second full-time season as a starter and was playing his best football toward the end of 2025.
Meanwhile, Texas spent a small fortune in the transfer portal to give him adequate weapons. There aren’t many reasons, on paper, that he can’t contend, thus the many predictions for him to do so.
So is Finebaum in? Not quite.
“Listen, I got burned badly last year, as you know and everyone in the country knows,” he said. “Not this time.
“I think he’s great, I think he’s a much better player than at the end of the last season. But I can’t go there. I think he’s got a real shot at being a finalist, but there’s too many other good names on that board. His team could get to the championship game, which would help him. They need to really be impressive, and last year his team let him down and Arch wasn’t all that great at the beginning of the year, either. I’m out.”
Will LSU earn a College Football Playoff berth?
The expectations are pretty clear in Baton Rouge going into this season. ESPN’s Andrea Adelson said recently that it’s national title or bust for the Tigers faithful.
That might be a bit lofty for Year 1 of the Lane Kiffin era, but it’s probably not far off. Expectations are high and the predictions are following.
So can the Tigers tighten up enough quickly enough with 40-plus transfers to contend for a postseason berth? Finebaum weighed in.
“I’m in. He’s got one of the best rosters in college football,” Finebaum said of Kiffin. “The question is chemistry. He brought in Sam Leavitt. He’s brought in so many amazing players in the portal, but his schedule is really problematic, especially Clemson and then at Ole Miss and Texas A&M all in the month of September.
“But I think he can do it. He’s one of the best coaches in the country. He’s one of the best quarterback coaches in the country, so count me in.”
