Paul Finebaum Names Surprising SEC Team To Beat Outside Of Georgia

The Georgia Bulldogs are once again the favorites in the SEC and college football. The Bulldogs have won two of the last three CFP national championships.

But after that, things get cloudy within the conference. In years past, the Alabama Crimson Tide or the LSU Tigers have almost always been in the running. Now, the SEC has added two historic programs: Texas and Oklahoma.

So, who will be the team to beat outside of the Bulldogs come the fall? ESPN's Paul Finebaum is confident one of the SEC's newcomers will be able to make a run for the title.

"I’m really high on Texas, and I think it’s because of getting (to the CFP) last year and experiencing that run,” Finebaum said on McElroy and Cubelic . “I think when you have a quarterback room that’s solid and as great as they do, it really makes things a lot easier. And they have so many other compliments around and they have a coaching staff that has some experience."

Texas has started to become the popular pick to compete at the top going into the season. They still have a lot of question marks, especially after losing three of their top defensive players, most of their secondary, their top three wide receivers, their tight end, and their running back, but the Longhorns did a great job in the portal.

It was also a huge benefit for them to return their quarterback, Quinn Ewers, and return one of the best offensive lines in football. Those two things will be able to overshadow a lot of issues, at least early in the season.

The Longhorns made a run to the College Football Playoff for the first time in program history and won the Big-12 Championship over Oklahoma State last season. Head coach Steve Sarkisian is familiar with the grind of the SEC, which should have the Longhorns primed to be immediate contenders.

Related: Texas Is Not More SEC-Ready Than Its Red River Rival