Paul Finebaum did what Paul Finebaum does best on SEC Nation this week: he leaned into the moment, won over the room, and then swung hard the other way.
With the show in Norman ahead of the Red River Rivalry, the panel broke down the 2026 meeting between Oklahoma and Texas. The first three picks followed the expected script and backed the Longhorns, who are favored by around a touchdown. Finebaum, though, waited until after he’d stirred up the Sooners crowd before delivering his verdict.
“I keep hearing that you have a rivalry game and anything can happen. And you Sooners know that, right?”
asked Finebaum. Having stoked the crowd, he then turned heel and disappointed them.
“But I don't think you really have to factor that in because there's one team over here going up," continued Finebaum. "There's another team going down.
And the Sooners are going down. Hook 'em, Horns!"
The pick made it a clean sweep for Texas on SEC Nation, and the result lined up with the broader pregame mood around the matchup. Oklahoma enters at 2-2 and has struggled badly on offense since opening the season with a 51-0 win over UTEP in Week 1.
Over the last three games, the Sooners have managed just 10, 14 and 13 points, with a loss to Michigan and a 41-13 defeat to Georgia in that stretch. Oklahoma also failed to reach 300 total yards in any of those three games.
Texas hasn’t exactly been a model of offensive consistency, but its defense has done enough to survive tight games against Ohio State and Tennessee, with those wins coming by a combined four points. Oklahoma’s defense is even more imposing, but the prevailing read is that a more balanced Texas team should be able to find enough offense to get the job done.
That view wasn’t limited to SEC Nation, either. College GameDay also backed Texas, giving the Longhorns an 8-0 edge between the two shows. Finebaum just made sure his pick came with a little extra bite.
In Other News...
Texas Let A 2-0 Lead Slip Away In Brutal Road Loss
Texas built what looked like a winning cushion early at Wendell & Vickie Bell Soccer Complex, jumping out to a 2-0 lead before halftime and appearing to have control of the match on the road. The Longhorns got key contributions from Elise Ernest, Rayna Powers, Amalia Villarreal, Ava McDonald and Audrey Bryant, and for a while it looked like the night would extend their recent run and reinforce the progress that had carried them into the contest.
Instead, Kentucky flipped the script after the break and turned the game into a gut-punch finish for Texas. The Wildcats scored three times in the second half, and Kyla Dawn delivered the winner in the 90th minute, sending No. 25/18 Texas to a 3-2 defeat that snapped its four-match unbeaten streak and left the Longhorns with plenty to sort through after a road lead vanished so quickly. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Volleyball May Have Found Its SEC Identity In Arkansas Rally
Texas volleyball spent a good chunk of Friday night in a familiar place, chasing the match before finally taking control in Fayetteville. No. 9 Texas dropped the opening set to Arkansas, then had to survive a long second-set battle before finding its rhythm in a four-set win that pushed the Longhorns to 8-5 overall and 4-1 in SEC play. Torrey Stafford did the heavy lifting on offense with a season-high 29 kills, while the victory also came with a defensive exclamation point from Ramsey Gary.
Gary finished with 33 digs, setting a Texas rally-scoring era record and giving the Longhorns the kind of back-line steadiness that can travel in conference play. For a team still trying to define itself in a new league, the rally against Arkansas offered a useful glimpse of what Texas wants to be: stubborn, balanced and capable of turning a tense night into a decisive finish once the match starts to bend its way. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Opens Red River With Early Drama Beyond The Score
The Red River Rivalry brought its usual edge at the Cotton Bowl, and Texas wasted little time making an early statement. Arch Manning connected with Cam Coleman for a first-quarter touchdown, giving the Longhorns a quick spark in a game that already felt charged before either side settled in.
Even before the scoring play, the opening quarter carried plenty for Texas fans to track beyond the scoreboard, from the pregame warmups to the injury situation that shaped the tone of the afternoon. With key plays coming fast and both teams absorbing the atmosphere of one of college footballs most watched rivalries, the Longhorns had plenty of drama to navigate right away. [Read more 🡒]