Paul Finebaum makes shocking pick amid Texas vs Tennessee’s 'UT' debate

The fans of the Texas Longhorns and the Tennessee Volunteers both claim ownership of something that is not solely related to their athletic programs: the "UT" moniker.

This debate of which school is the proper UT has resurfaced due to the Longhorns joining the Volunteers in the SEC. The conference itself has a definite answer to this question: Tennessee is the real UT; Texas is not.

This led to the SEC referring to the Texas Longhorns as "TEX" and Tennessee as "UT" when their preseason all-conference team was recently announced.

Adding fuel to this debate is ESPN's Paul Finebaum, who said that Tennessee is the real UT and gave a specific reason for his thoughts:

"Without Tennessee and Davy Crockett, there wouldn't be a Texas right now, So even though I'm prejudiced being a graduate of Tennessee, there's no contender; it's UT Knoxville. That's where the action is."

Finebaum is referring to the Battle of the Alamo, which was a key moment in the creation of the Republic of Texas, which would later join the United States.

Davy Crockett, a senator from Tennessee, called on volunteers to help defend the Alamo from the attacking Mexican army. These Volunteers would again be used through the subsequent Mexican-American war, which ended in an American victory.

Finebaum is using this significant event to claim that Tennessee is the real UT, because without the help of someone from Tennessee, Texas and the subsequent University of Texas may not exist.

Texas Longhorns vs Tennessee Volunteers on the field

On the football field, the story is much different. The two teams have met on three occasions — in 1951, 1953 and 1969. The Longhorns have won two of these games, while the Volunteers have won one.

The Longhorns lead in almost every measure a college football team can have, including overall wins and conference championships. Most importantly, Tennessee has more national championships (six to Texas' four).

However, the picture is different in 2024. Texas comes into the season as one of the stronger teams in both the conference and the country and is one of the favorites to win a national championship. Tennessee is not there yet, but the Vols should have a respectable season with new quarterback Nico Iamaleava.

With the two programs now in the same conference, they will meet more regularly. The first of these meetings is not planned for this year but could happen in the expanded college football playoffs if both teams make it.