Finebaum picks OU over Texas football for his latest CFB Playoff picture

ESPN’s Paul Finebaum still has Oklahoma representing the Big 12 in the College Football Playoff over the Texas football program.

It is easy to get overhyped about certain teams following the opening weekend of Power Five action in any college football season. That is something that a lot of Texas football fans are all too used to dealing with. But this season will have a different tone to it no matter what. Texas is trying to win their first Big 12 Championship, and get into the College Football Playoff, under the direction of fourth-year head coach Tom Herman.

Last season, the Longhorns fell well short of expectations after entering the regular season with a top 10 ranking in both major preseason polls. This fall, Texas ranked at No. 14 in both major preseason polls, signifying a growing amount of hype surrounding this team yet again.

What Texas has to make sure of this year is that they don’t get caught stumbling out of the gates in Big 12 play. Last season, they were convincingly beaten at the hands of the Oklahoma Sooners, and upset by the TCU Horned Frogs. Those two losses came even before Big 12 play started.

The early season test for the Big 12 schedule this year will be staving off a potential upset bid on the road in the conference opener on Sep. 26 in Lubbock against the Texas Tech Red Raiders. But that should be a game that the Longhorns come out on top by at least one or two possessions, given how Texas Tech struggled with FCS Houston Baptist in Week 1.

However, Texas has now showed us all enough yet to make their way into the College Football Playoff picture for everyone in the media. Paul Finebaum didn’t have the Longhorns in his early College Football Playoff predictions heading into Week 3 of the season. He was on ESPN’s morning show “Get Up” on Sep. 17 to give his updated College Football Playoff predictions after Week 2 and the announcement that the Big Ten would be returning to action this fall.

The top seed that Finebaum had in his updated Playoff predictions was the Clemson Tigers, followed in order by the Alabama Crimson Tide, Oklahoma Sooners, and Ohio State Buckeyes. Finebaum is high on the Buckeyes now that the Big Ten is returning to play this fall.

Moreover, the goal for the Longhorns here is clear. They must get past Oklahoma in the annual Red River Rivalry game and win the Big 12. It’s not likely that the Big 12 gets two teams into the Playoff, so Texas would probably have to win the conference outright.

Texas has a record of 1-0 after knocking off the UTEP Miners out of Conference-USA in the season opener. They have a bye this weekend, with only two teams from the Big 12 in action on Sep. 19, and then open up the conference slate next Saturday against the Red Raiders.