Paul Finebaum makes bold Arch Manning, Texas prediction in Red River Rivalry vs. Oklahoma

Paul Finebaum has toned down his praise for Arch Manning as the 2025 campaign has progressed. However, he hasn’t given up on the Texas quarterback quite yet. On Tuesday, the ESPN analyst explained why he believes Manning could keep the Longhorns’ College Football Playoff hopes alive.

“I know I’ve been a little bit optimistic on Arch this year, Matt, while he has performed poorly, but I feel like he’s coming along,” Finebaum said during an appearance on SportsCenter. “Arch Manning is a better quarterback today than he was a couple of weeks ago.

“I think he will be the best quarterback in this game, which might be the first time in a while. So, I think the opportunity for Texas is grand against a slightly depleted Oklahoma team.”

Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer is still recovering from a surgery he underwent on his throwing hand in late September. On Tuesday, Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables downplayed the likelihood Mateer would be ready to play against Texas on Saturday.

If Mateer is out, Manning will be the headlining quarterback of the outing. Fans will be especially intrigued to see how he responds after Texas fell 29-21 to Florida in Week 6.

In the loss, Manning completed 16-of-his-29 pass attempts for 263 yards and two touchdowns, while throwing two interceptions. He also recorded 37 rushing yards.

It was a long day in the pocket for Manning, who was sacked six times by the Gators. Oklahoma’s defense is tied for the second-most sacks in the country this season and will bring even more pressure on Manning this weekend.

Alas, Finebaum believes the redshirt sophomore could respond well to the challenge. He is far from the only one who believes in Arch Manning’s grit.

 “I found out he’s a tough dude. He fought his ass off Saturday, and those were not ideal conditions for a quarterback to perform under,” Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian said of Manning. “Is there a couple throws I’m sure he’d love to have back? Of course.

“But, he stood in there, and he showed a lot of contact courage, taking hits, delivering the ball. There was some really impressive throws in there, and he battled until the very end. He learned a lot about himself, as much as we learned about him. This guy’s got a lot of courage. He’s got a lot of toughness.”

Texas and Oklahoma will square off at 2:30 p.m. CT on Saturday. The game will air live on ABC.