Paul Finebaum: Texas Isn't Relevant Anymore

Texas went 5-7 in 2010, a year after playing in the BCS Championship Game. The battle to truly get back has had several stops and starts. A prevailing narrative that this is a program in complete disrepair is countered a bit by a brief flash in 2018 that saw the Longhorns win 10 games and finish ninth in the final AP poll. Texas has finished in the Top 25 in each of the past three seasons yet no one should have any confidence in the program competing for a playoff spot any time soon and becoming a perennial contender again is more of a long-term goal than a quick fix.

Paul Finebaum was on Get Up this morning to discuss the state of all things burnt orange and offered a tough assessment, saying Texas is "not a relevant program anymore."

Finebaum makes some excellent points. Compare Texas to the schools it's supposed to be equals with and they come up lacking. The aspirational stuff of pushing Alabama or Clemson exists at this point as nothing more than a pipe dream.

Now, this is all a bit funny when one considers the Longhorn Network and how big of a dud that has been, at least anecdotally. ESPN would figure to be greatly served by increased interest outside of the Longhorns existing fanbase. Alas.

There's also reason to view this a positive. By having a clear-eyed view of the obstacles new coach Steve Sarkisian will have in restoring the proud franchise back to relevance, we can have a more nuanced view of the work in progress. Pleading for any patience in the college football world is a fool's errand but Finebaum's detached analysis deserves some consideration.