Paul Finebaum Reveals When Texas Longhorns Will Be Officially 'Back'

The Texas Longhorns being 'back' has been a joke of college football for over a decade. Saturday, the Horns have a chance to finally shed it.

The Texas Longhorns being 'back' has been a joke around college football for years.

And ever since the exit of Colt McCoy, it has been a question that has been on the minds of Texas fans everywhere. 

Former Texas Longhorns quarterback Sam Ehlinger then basically made it into a meme, when he announced that the Horns were back after their January 2019 Sugar Bowl win over Georgia. 

The Longhorns followed that declaration up by going 8-5 and 7-3 over the next two seasons under Tom Herman and finishing 5-7 under Steve Sarkisian in 2021. 

Texas bounced back in 2022, going 8-5, but still looked far from 'back'.

However, in 2023, the Longhorns finally - for the first time since 2009 - look like a legitimate title contender.

Not only have they appeared dominant, but they have beaten two ranked opponents convincingly,  including Nick Saban's then-No. 3 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa.

That said, according to ESPN's Paul Finebaum, the Longhorns still have one more box to check before they can truly be considered 'back' - beating the No. 12 Oklahoma Sooners in Dallas on Saturday.

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"As you frame the game, obviously a lot of history to consider this is the last time not in the SEC," Finebaum said. "But if Texas continues here, they're in a phenomenal position. They're no longer 'Hey, this is a joke about Texas being back.' I mean, they look legitimately back."

Should the Longhorns pull off that win, they will have wins against three ranked opponents, including one against an Oklahoma team that has itself looked like one of the most impressive teams in the country through five weeks. 

On top of that, should the Longhorns take down OU, it is hard to imagine another game remaining on their schedule that could cause them to falter until the Big 12 title game, where they could potentially face the Sooners in a rematch.

According to Finebaum though, it's just a shame this game isn't being played in the SEC yet, where the Horns and Sooners will face off starting next fall.

"I just wish this game was already in the SEC," Finebaum said. "It just seems like a waste for these two schools who have been scorned and treated shabbily by the Big 12 in the schedule-making to give that league a showcase."

No. 3 Texas will kick off against Oklahoma at 11 a.m. Saturday morning in Dallas, with everything on the line for both teams.