Paul Finebaum makes bleak prediction for Alabama vs. Texas

ESPN and SEC Network host Paul Finebaum joined Matt Barrie to recap the action of Week 1 and after seeing the Alabama Crimson Tide on Saturday, he shared a bleak prediction for the Texas Longhorns.

Steve Sarkisian welcomes his former boss Nick Saban to Austin on Saturday and according to Finebaum, only the Bama coaching legend’s good nature can stop the Tide from running up the score.

“The only thing that can stop Alabama from winning by four or five touchdowns is Nick Saban having a heart, and there’s no proof of that he wants to go easy on Steve Sarkisian,” Finebaum said on Sunday.

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The Las Vegas oddsmakers have Alabama as an 18-point favorite over Texas but Finebaum thinks it will be worse than that. The ESPN FPI gives Bama an 81.8% chance to win as well. Versus Utah State in Week 1, Bryce Young and Will Anderson led their respective units to a 55-0 blowout.

A noon kickoff in Austin promises a scorching setting, but Texas fans have sold out Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium regardless of the heat. Although Finebaum and SEC Nation won’t be on the Forty Acres, ESPN’s College GameDay will be in the Texas capital.

Steve Sarkisian evaluates Quinn Ewers’ first start for Texas

Texas started former five-star and Ohio State Quinn Ewers as expected on Saturday. Despite early miscues, including an interception on his first drive, the Longhorns notched a 52-10 victory. Steve Sarkisian shared his impressions of Ewers’ first start after the game.

“I thought it was good for him. I don’t think anybody wants to throw an interception on their second career pass, you know,” Sarkisian said. “And I think it was a good learning lesson for him too. Sometimes you earn the right to punt, as they say. I hate saying that. But that was an opportunity where what we called was not a great call, they covered it, he got flushed and he tried to force a throw and so a really good learning moment for him, but I didn’t feel for a second where he got flustered or was out of whack by any means.”

Ewers finished the game with 225 passing yards for two touchdowns while completing 67 percent of his passes.

“I thought he was very composed,” Sarkisian said. “Even the throws that he missed, he almost signaled to me, like, ‘I should have done this, or I could have done that,’ and that part was encouraging… We were going to have some growing pains, and we had some tonight, but I thought we came out on the other side of them and we’re better for it.”

On3’s Barkley Truax contributed to this report.