Paul Finebaum Throws Clear Shade at Oklahoma Sooners

The Associated Press poll, released Monday morning and voted on by a panel of media members, placed Ohio State at No. 1 with 40 first-place votes. Oregon followed at No. 2, Georgia at No. 3, Notre Dame at No. 4 and Texas at No. 5. Defending national champion Indiana checked in at No. 6, with Miami at No. 7, Texas A&M at No. 8, Ole Miss at No. 9 and Oklahoma rounding out the top 10.

Oklahoma’s ranking marks its highest preseason AP placement since 2022, when the Sooners opened at No. 9 in Brent Venables’ first season as head coach. The program finished last season 10-3 and advanced to the College Football Playoff for the first time since 2019 before falling to Alabama in the first round. The Sooners ranked 13th in the final AP poll of 2025.

Defensively, Oklahoma was among the nation’s strongest units a year ago, allowing just 15.5 points per game and ranking near the top of the Southeastern Conference and FBS in multiple categories. Venables’ group finished fourth in ESPN’s SP+ defensive rankings. The Sooners return a significant portion of that production heading into 2026.

On offense, quarterback John Mateer returns after throwing for 2,885 yards and 14 touchdowns while adding 431 rushing yards and eight scores in 2025. Mateer dealt with a thumb injury that limited him at times last season, but he is expected to be fully healthy. Oklahoma also brings back key skill players and multiple starters on the offensive line.

Finebaum’s skepticism centers largely on the 2026 schedule, which ranks among the toughest in the country according to multiple projections. Oklahoma opens Sept. 4 against UTEP at home before traveling to No. 16 Michigan on Sept. 12. The Sooners then host New Mexico, visit No. 3 Georgia on Sept. 26 and face No. 5 Texas in the Red River Rivalry on Oct. 10 in Dallas.

Later in the season, Oklahoma hosts No. 8 Texas A&M and No. 9 Ole Miss while traveling to No. 25 Missouri. Additional SEC road games include stops at Florida and Mississippi State. In all, the Sooners will face at least six teams ranked in the preseason Top 25, including four currently ranked in the top 10.

The SEC placed nine teams in the AP preseason Top 25, the most of any conference. Oklahoma sits fifth among those SEC squads. The Big Ten claimed the top two spots with Ohio State and Oregon, the first time a single conference has occupied the top two preseason positions since 1987.

Venables enters his fifth season in Norman having steadily improved the program’s defensive identity. Supporters of the ranking point to that continuity, the return of Mateer and last year’s 10-win campaign as reasons for optimism. Critics, including Finebaum, argue the combination of a brutal early schedule and the depth of the SEC will make a top-10 finish difficult to achieve.

Oklahoma’s over/under win total sits near 7.5 in early betting markets, reflecting the perceived difficulty of the slate. Whether the Sooners can exceed expectations or fade as Finebaum predicts will be one of the early storylines of the 2026 season.

The preseason rankings set the stage for a highly competitive year, with the College Football Playoff field expected to feature multiple SEC and Big Ten contenders once again.