Paul Finebaum Rips Steve Sarkisian For Blowing Off Holly Rowe

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As much as Paul Finebaum may love seeing SEC teams beating Big Ten teams – and Ohio State in particular – he was not a fan of how Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian treated his ESPN colleague Holly Rowe after his big win this past Saturday.

Appearing on First Take, Finebaum agreed with Stephen A. Smith that Sarkisian should not have blown off Rowe during the interview. Finebaum declared that Rowe has done “more for this sport” than Sarkisian has and deserves to be treated better.

“The only downside for me, Paul, believe it or not, was Steve Sarkisian. After the game, you’ve got Holly there. You do the damn interview,” Smith said of the end of the game. “You’re a grown-ass man. You’re a damn good coach; you’re a grown-up. If it was a player, we would have called out the player, Paul. We would’ve called out the player, even in a moment like that. Sarkisian, you’re the head coach of the damn school. You’re the head coach. Do the interview.”

“I appreciate you saying that about Holly Rowe, because there’s nobody better in the industry, and he treated her like trash,” Finebaum said. “She has done more for this sport than Steve Sarkisian, I promise you that.”

The Scrutiny is Bigger in Texas

Finebaum and Stephen A. are far from the only ones who have taken Sarkisian to task over his behavior during and after the game. To an extent it’s even overshadowed his team ascending to the No. 1 team in the country.

And that’s a shame because Texas has been playing superb football through these first two weeks. A dominating win over Texas State followed by a come-from-behind win over Ohio State has the Longhorns set up for tremendous success as their non-conference schedule comes to a close.

They take on UTSA next week before their first of nine straight games against SEC rivals – six of whom are currently ranked.

Will Sarkisian and Texas continue their winning ways?

This story was originally published by The Spun on Sep 15, 2026, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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