While it’s not very often that ESPN’s Paul Finebaum has a stance that rivals the SEC, on Tuesday, that reality came to fruition when discussing the College Football Playoff.
Though many figureheads associated with the SEC have been campaigning to expand the playoff and allow auto-bids for multiple teams in the league, Finebaum believes that doesn’t make much sense given recent history.
“It’s a new narrative,” Finebaum said, crowning the Big Ten college football’s best league. “And for somebody who talks 20 hours a week to SEC fans, it’s on their minds. I’m sitting there, and I’ve got a million people watching, and I’m the, quote, unquote, Voice of the SEC.”
Finebaum cited the SEC missing back-to-back National Championship games for the first time in more than 20 seasons as a main reason for the change. Individuals like Lane Kiffin, Shane Beamer, Kirby Smart, Nick Saban, and more have all complained about the current playoff model in recent months and have actively attempted to sway college football fans into accepting the SEC’s ridiculous expansion plans.
For once, Paul Finebaum wasn’t having it.
“I feel like 12 teams are enough, probably too many, but it’s what we have, so we’re not going backward,” Finebaum said. “I don’t see any compelling reasons to add more. I don’t care how good you are. I think you ought to prove it. It just smells of a level of elitism that I’m not a big fan of.”
Finebaum concluded his thoughts by saying, “The SEC and the Big Ten will always get a pretty large number. Listen, not only do I understand this argument, I’ve made the argument before in terms of, ‘Hey, the SEC, they go through a different gauntlet than another conference.’ But I also just don’t like starting the season knowing no matter how good or bad your teams are, you’re going to be grandfathered in. To me, there’s something wrong with that.”
While College football teams nationwide will have an opportunity to make their case for the 2025 College Football Playoff in the coming months, it now becomes a question of how to pass the time until then.
Related: Paul Finebaum Addresses the SEC Missing the National Championship Game
