Paul Finebaum Names Top-10 College Football Team Most Likely to Finish Unranked

The Oklahoma Sooners had an incredible bounce-back season in Year 2 in the SEC last year.

The Sooners had a disastrous 6-7 season in 2024, the second losing season under head coach Brent Venables. That put a lot of pressure on Venables heading into the 2025 season. If his team didn't improve, it could be his last in Norman.

Oklahoma Returns to the College Football Playoff

But Oklahoma responded by going 10-3 and returning to the College Football Playoff for the first time since 2019. What makes their run even more remarkable is that the Sooners' season looked like it was hanging on by a thread after losing to the Ole Miss Rebels.

The team was sitting at 6-2, with road trips to Tennessee and Alabama, and home games against Missouri and LSU. But the Sooners would remarkably win all four of those games, cementing their spot in the CFP.

Oklahoma coach Brent Venables locks arms with players before a first-round College Football Playoff game. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Now, heading into the 2026 season, there is a lot of optimism. Oklahoma starts the season ranked No. 10 in the AP poll. The Sooners also rank tied for No. 12 in returning production. That includes quarterback John Mateer, as well as several key contributors on a defense that ranked No. 6 last season.

Paul Finebaum Predicts Oklahoma Will Fall Out of the Top 25

However, there are some skeptics. College Football HQ's Matt De Lima listed them as a team that could fall out of the top 25 fast. ESPN's Paul Finebaum agreed with that. On "Get Up," Finebaum said they are the team in the top 10 that he believes will finish unranked this season.

"Oklahoma," Finebaum said. "They have an elite defense under Brent Venables, but I absolutely hate their schedule. They have John Mateer back; he was banged up last year, and they went into a bit of a tailspin. Even though they made the playoffs, though they lost at home, giving up a 17-point lead to Alabama. I think they could run into a buzzsaw."

Why Oklahoma's Schedule Has Finebaum Worried

The worry about the schedule is a fair one. ESPN's Football Power Index ranks it as the No. 2 toughest schedule in college football, behind the Arkansas Razorbacks. Oklahoma faces one of the toughest stretches early in the season.

The Sooners face the Michigan Wolverines and Georgia Bulldogs on the road before playing the Texas Longhorns in Dallas in their first five games. That doesn't include playing the Ole Miss Rebels and Texas A&M Aggies at home, as well as the Missouri Tigers on the road, in the final three games to end the season.

The reality is, no one is questioning the talent of Oklahoma this season. The Sooners have the talent to compete for a national championship. The issue is whether they can navigate that difficult schedule, as they did last year, and get back into College Football Playoff attention.

Add us as a preferred source on Google