Sooners have already made Paul Finebaum’s biggest doubt look foolish

SEC lover boy Paul Finebaum is at it again, just yelling nonsense that has no real backing.

Finebaum was on SportsCenter on Monday to share his thoughts on the preseason AP Top 25 Poll, which had the Oklahoma Sooners, rightfully, at No. 10. Of all the head-scratching decisions like Missouri still being ranked for no reason and the defending national champions being disrespected at No. 6, Finebaum still said OU was his biggest surprise of the preseason rankings before giving an invalid reason why there's no way the Sooners can be a top-10 team.

"I don't know how people, realistically, think Oklahoma is gonna finish in the top 10," Finebaum said. "You can say whatever you want about what they have in (quarterback) John Mateer -- and we were together at SEC Media Days -- but but their schedule is beyond brutal. ...

"I don't know how they finish in the top 10."

Finebaum went on to emphasize the early part of the Sooners' schedule that experts have talked in circles about. OU has to deal with three top-20 teams in its first five games, and all of those matchups are away from Norman.

Week 2, the Sooners have to travel to Ann Arbor for a rematch with No. 16 Michigan, which has a new head coach in Kyle Whittingham. Then, after what won't be a cupcake contest against New Mexico, OU has back-to-back projected top-5 clashes against No. 3 Georgia in Athens, then after a bye week, the Red River Rivalry against No. 5 Texas.

Read more: Preseason AP Top 25 Poll is another eye-opener for what kind of 2026 schedule Oklahoma has on deck

It was obvious the preseason AP Top 25 Poll was another reminder at just how tough the Sooners' 2026 slate is. The preseason rankings included six of OU's future opponents. Not all of them will still have a number next to their name by the time they share a field with the Sooners, though. And Finebaum should know better than anyone that every week is a challenge in the SEC -- for everyone, not just the Sooners.

Paul Finebaum’s Oklahoma prediction overlooks the biggest lesson from 2025

Finebaum stated the obvious and created his entire take from glancing at the preseason poll and mixing it with his extreme SEC bias. Entering Year 3 in the conference, the Sooners aren't fully in the SEC fraternity yet to get Finebaum's unwavering belief. Finebaum's argument, though, is pretty easy to unravel beyond the simple fact that no one has played a game yet.

This time last year, the talk once again was all about the Sooners' gauntlet ahead and how it would be the doom of Brent Venables as OU's head coach. Oklahoma then went 10-2 through that impossible regular-season schedule and made the College Football Playoff.

A year later, the Sooners are not only better, but I believe, especially after those first five games, Oklahoma's 2026 schedule is even easier than what it successfully navigated in 2025. Yes, Michigan is on the road, but the Wolverines are under a new regime and Venables made life miserable for quarterback Bryce Underwood last year at Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.

There's no denying Georgia on the road is a daunting task. But that's just life in the SEC, and Venables embraces it. The Sooners will also be more prepared for the Longhorns this season with a (hopefully) healthy John Mateer and a new rivalry secret weapon in Parker Livingstone.

Worst-case scenario, the Sooners get through that stretch at 2-3. And they can still return to the CFP from there by being flawless the rest of the way. There also seemed to be no way the Sooners could make the playoff late last season, but then they rattled off four wins in a row against what were likely tougher challenges than they'll face the second half of 2026.

Finebaum made an argument that's already been proven wrong by common sense and by the Sooners themselves less than a year ago. Venables has assembled a team that's supposed to compete for a national title, and that means being better than most opponents across the sidelines, no matter who it is.

Gerald McCoy and college football fans react to Paul Finebaum's flawed take

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