Paul Finebaum previews if Texas, Oklahoma will experience growing pains in first season in SEC

With Texas and Oklahoma in the SEC for the first time, Paul Finebaum was asked if there would be any growing pains for the two schools.

Texas? Maybe not. Oklahoma? More likely than the Longhorns with the way the rosters are currently constructed, according to Finebaum. Texas is a popular SEC champion pick, or at least one of the favorites with Georgia.

All in all, Texas and Oklahoma are in a different world with the SEC, compared to the Big 12.

“There’ll be some but I totally agree with you on the Big 12,” Finebaum said on McElroy and Cubelic. “I’m not sure if you offered me $100 right now, I could probably name all the schools in the Big 12. I really just don’t know and frankly, I don’t care … I know Colorado’s in because I was asked the other day, do you think they make the playoffs? And I was laughing so hard. I had to be rushed to the ER.

“I think Oklahoma’s maybe the school you’re a little more concerned about. The folks in Norman are very realistic though. I mean, they know who they are, but they also know that they’re in a transitional period. But they like where they are.”

Oklahoma aside, Finebaum made the expectations for Texas in 2024 pretty clear.

“I think Texas is a playoff team,” Finebaum said. “You know, they may get upset by somebody, Greg, but I think that they have enough that they can afford that. And that’s really what this season’s about. You can afford that loss. It’s not over. You don’t have to fight all the way back like we’ve seen Alabama over the years. They lose that early game maybe … and they’re up against the wall the rest of the way.”

Texas fine in SEC, Oklahoma to struggle?

Nick Saban, who just retired from Alabama, was high on Texas to meet Georgia for the SEC Championship Game, over the Crimson Tide.

While Saban pointed out the changes Ole Miss made this year – particularly in the transfer portal – he thinks Texas has the firepower on offense to help with some key defensive losses. Plus, the Longhorns have quarterback depth with Quinn Ewers and Arch Manning in tow, and that could be instrumental in a run to the SEC Championship.

“I think this is the first time Ole Miss could really match up up front,” Saban said. “That’s always been their issue. They’ll win 11 games, they’d lose to Georgia, they’d lose to us because they can’t match up upfront. They can this year. They’re gonna look more like an SEC team. But I think Texas, if their defense comes through and they can replace some of the interior people they lost that were high draft picks and all that, they’re really good offensively. And even though their quarterback has missed time – Ewers has missed time the last couple years – Manning was lights-out in the spring game. Like, Arch was like, 21 for 25 for 347 yards.

“That depth at quarterback is probably really important for them because Ewers has missed time the last couple years, a game or two, which could really affect where you end up. So I really like Texas. I think Georgia’s got a really good team, but I believe in our Alabama team, too – I believe in Jalen Milroe. I just think the question marks in the secondary, until those get resolved, it’s hard to sort of jump on that bandwagon.”