Paul Finebaum offers a bold scenario for Texas and Ohio State’s playoff chances in 2025

Paul Finebaum has given a unique scenario that could fold out next season. This scenario can only exist due to the expanded College Football Playoff.

This expanded playoff system has enabled more teams to make the postseason bracket and lowered the threshold on what a playoff team record team looks like. It is now more than possible that teams who have lost two games will make the postseason.

On Friday's "The Paul Finebaum Show," the analyst gave the names of two teams who could make history by being the first nine-win teams (three losses) to make the playoff.

"Take Ohio State or Texas. Both of those could get in with nine because they play each other to start the year," Finnebaum said.

The Ohio State Buckeyes will enter the upcoming season as the defending national champions. They will face stiff opposition from their fellow Big Ten rivals, the Michigan Wolverines, who likely have star prospect Bryce Underwood as their quarterback and the mostly unchanged Penn State Nittany Lions. These two games could be the ones that the Buckeyes lose.

As for the Texas Longhorns, they are generally seen as the favorites to win the national championship this year. Now, with Arch Manning as their starting QB, there are many expectations for the team that made the SEC championship game in their first season in the conference.

Games against the Georgia Bulldogs and another defeat in the SEC championship would give them two losses for the season.

The teams' season openers will be crucial. Ohio State and Texas face off in the first week of the season in a rematch of last year's semifinals The losing team could suffer what would become their third loss of the season.

However, due to their general strength and relatively easy schedules, whichever team loses should not be written out of the playoffs and could make it in with three defeats.

Who will Ohio State and Texas face once they have met?

Once Ohio State and Texas meet each other in the first week of the season, their schedules get a lot easier.

The Buckeyes face two easier non-conference opponents before their Big Ten schedule begins against Washington. The Buckeyes will then face Minnesota, Illinois, Wisconsin, Purdue, UCLA, Rutgers and Michigan to end the season. There could be a few potential challengers (Penn State, Michigan, and maybe Wisconsin/Rutgers), but generally, this is an easy schedule for Ohio State.

On the other hand, the Longhorns face three non-conference opponents, which include UTEP, and then face Florida, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Vanderbilt, Georgia and Arkansas. They will finish their regular season against rivals Texas A&M. None of these teams (bar Georgia) have been able to challenge the SEC title as of late, and this should be expected this season as well.