Tag: Paul Finebaum

‘We just have to worry about us’ Texas A&M HC Mike Elko speaks to Paul Finebaum

Mike Elko discussed the Aggies’ mindset this season after the season opening loss to Notre Dame

Texas A&M’s 7-1 record and 5-0 start in SEC play, currently atop the conference, surprises many, mainly since head coach Mike Elko is in the midst of his first season with the program.

Elko and his staff deserve much credit for developing a culture that rivals nearly every Power 5 program. However, the Aggies have mainly thrived due to the transfer additions led by defensive end Nic Scourton and cornerbacks BJ Mayes and Will Lee, while a handful of others have made a weekly impact.

After defeating LSU last Saturday night in one of the craziest comebacks in Texas A&M football history, backup quarterback Marcel Reed entered the game in the second half amid Conner Weigman’s struggles, leading the Aggies to five consecutive scoring drives while producing three rushing touchdowns.

Set to face South Carolina on the road for the second consecutive primetime game on ABC, Elko appeared on the Paul Finebaum show, reflecting on the impending matchup while reflecting on how the Aggies have stayed the course after losing the season opener to Notre Dame.

“I think we started attacking this thing early on, and I think for us, one of the things that we were able to take out of the Notre Dame loss was, I think that allowed us to really insulate our program” Mike Elko stated. “You started to realize we just have to worry about us and what we need to do to improve and get better every day, to become the football team capable of coming and drowning out all that outside noise.”

After defeating Missouri, Mississippi State, and LSU, Elko and his team have stayed the course and avoided thinking that any of this is all but a weekly accomplish, as their focus remains on defeating the next opponent:

“You beat Missouri and everyone wants to talk positvely about you, but, hold on, that isn’t kind of anything yet, then you beat LSU and it kind of turns into the same thing” Elko stated. “Our kids understand what a pendulum this really is, and I believe that’s helped us in keeping them focused on what we’ve got to do to go out and play football the way we can and the way for capable of.”

Texas A&M will travel to Columbia to face South Carolina on Saturday, Nov. 2nd, at 6:30 p.m. CT. The game will air on either ABC.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Cameron on Twitter: @CameronOhnysty.

Paul Finebaum credits Dabo Swinney, Clemson’s head coach ‘might have the last laugh’

Finebaum finally credits Swinney.

On the Matt Barrie Show this week, ESPN’s Paul Finebaum surprised Clemson football fans by praising Dabo Swinney for turning the Tigers’ season around after their early 34-3 loss to Georgia. Known for his criticism of Clemson’s head coach, Finebaum acknowledged that the team’s improvement has been one of the season’s big surprises. “Maybe one of the biggest surprises I’ve had this season is watching Clemson get a lot better,” he said. “To Dabo Swinney’s credit, I mean, I led the parade ruling them out after Labor Day.”

Clemson (6-1, 5-0 ACC) has won six straight games since the opener and heads into their Saturday home game against Louisville ranked No. 11 in the AP Top 25 and No. 8 in the Coaches Poll. Swinney, however, has drawn criticism for Clemson’s approach to the transfer portal. Unlike many programs, Clemson was one of only four FBS schools, alongside the service academies, to skip the transfer portal entirely during the 2024 cycle.

Responding to Finebaum’s comments, Barrie suggested Swinney’s strategy could prove “incredibly victorious.” He noted that Swinney’s loyalty to recruiting and developing his players might outlast the trends, saying, “If they go win the ACC and are in the College Football Playoff, he can sustain the Dabo way while everyone’s dabbling in the portal, and he might have the last laugh.”

Following an open date in Week 9, Clemson now turns its attention to Saturday’s ACC matchup against Louisville (5-3, 3-2 ACC) at Death Valley, with kickoff scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on ESPN.

Paul Finebaum says Alabama’s Playoff chances are back after Missouri win

Finebaum gives his thoughts on Alabama’s win over Missouri.

There is no denying that Saturday’s 34-0 shutout victory over the Missouri Tigers was simply a much-needed result for the Alabama Crimson Tide.

After a rough last couple of weeks, Alabama overcame a slow start against Missouri to cruise to a blowout win over the Tigers on Saturday, advancing the Crimson Tide to 6-2 overall for the season, as well as 3-2 in SEC play.

This result was also noticed by many across the sport as well, with one name being ESPN’s Paul Finebaum, who said in a segment Sunday morning:

“Like the phoenix rising from the ashes, Bama is back,” Finebaum said. “A week ago I think I ruled them out, but I am ruling them back in right now. They have a bye week. They’ll rest up, and then they get to go down to Baton Rouge in two weeks to play a beat up LSU team after what happened last night in College Station. This is a playoff eliminator. No joking, no kidding. Loser leaves town, the winner keeps going with a shot at making the CFP.”

Simply put, there is no margin for error going forward when it comes to Alabama making the College Football Playoff, as another loss will likely eliminate them from contention.

Yes, the Crimson Tide’s CFP hopes are still alive after the Missouri win, but they will need to keep compiling wins in order to keep that the same.

The Paul Finebaum Show’s rant of the year belongs to a Georgia caller’s noisy cat

The caller’s cat apparently felt it had something more important to say to Paul Finebaum.

ESPN personality Paul Finebaum has had his fair share of hilarious callers, amazing moments and epic rants on his daily SEC Network show.

During one of his shows this week, a caller’s cat delivered the latest ridiculous Paul Finebaum Show moment while the caller was trying to get a word in about Deion Sanders.

Vance, from Georgia, was attempting to say something about Sanders being in the conversation for coach of the year when he abruptly stopped to yell: “Will you shut up?! I’m trying to talk to Paul!”

Understandably, Finebaum wanted to clarify exactly who Vance was yelling at in this moment.

“Vance, uh, exactly, uh, who did you — who is there?” Finebaum asked.

“My damn cat!” Vance responded.

“Oh, OK.”

Hey, maybe the cat was ranting and wanted to add something to Finebaum’s show.

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Paul Finebaum names Georgia player that has regressed

SEC college football analyst Paul Finebaum believes that one key Georgia player has taken a step back in 2024

At the beginning of the college football season, many news outlets projected Carson Beck as the top quarterback in college football. However, his season has been a letdown, and SEC college football analyst Paul Finebaum agrees.

On “The Paul Finebaum Show,” Finebaum mentioned he no longer believes Carson Beck is the top quarterback in college football, according to Athlon Sports.

“It’s definitely a bizarre year for him,” Finebaum said. “He started, as everyone knows, as the No. 1 quarterback in college football. He’s not that anymore.”

So far, Beck has had a completion percentage of 66%, with 1,993 yards, 15 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He ranks sixth on the Heisman betting odds, courtesy of BetMGM, which is far from the lofty preseason expectations he had.

His passer rating of 146.4 is about 21 points lower than his passer rating last year. Still, he’s on the No. 2 team in the nation, and, despite some shaky performances, the Bulldogs are the top ranked team in the SEC.

Paul Finebaum blasts ‘undisciplined’ Alabama, calls out Kalen DeBoer’s leadership

From lack of discipline to ‘players who look disconnected,’ Paul Finebaum pulled no punches Monday when discussing Alabama’s 24-17 loss to rival Tennessee.

ESPN college football analyst Paul Finebaum has his knives out for the Alabama Crimson Tide and coach Kalen DeBoer following their 24-17 loss to the Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium.

During his weekly appearance on McElroy & Cubelic In The Morning with hosts Greg McElroy and Cole Cubelic on Birmingham’s WJOX-FM Monday morning, Finebaum pulled no punches.

“I’m bewildered by everything I’ve seen, and I’m certainly even more concerned about the leadership of Kalen DeBoer,” Finebaum said. “We can talk technical aspects of games, and I know you guys have and will, but I don’t see much on the sideline. I see players who look disconnected. They’re undisciplined.

“Whether this is a continuum of last year, I’ll leave it to others to determine, but this season is clearly on the brink. Everyone knows what the calculus is and remains. It’s not impossible. There’s still a narrow window, but it’s hard for me to believe that Alabama is going to find a way to get to the playoffs based on what I’ve seen over the last three weeks.”

McElroy, who called Saturday’s game for ABC, said that he felt Alabama’s defense had improved against Tennessee. Finebaum didn’t seem to buy it and argued that if Vols quarterback Nico Iamaleava had been more accurate, Tennessee “would have scored 40 points.”

Iamaleava missed several open targets in Saturday’s game and was picked off by cornerback Jaylen Mbakwe on an ugly pass midway through the second quarter.

Cubelic asked Finebaum to elaborate on his comments about Alabama’s leadership under DeBoer.

“It’s the discipline,” Finebaum said. “Listen, two years ago, we had the same conversations about the penalties in the loss at Neyland, and here we are again. And I know everyone will harp on the (Kendrick Law) penalty and that was the one that finished the game off to a certain degree. But to me, it’s just more of the same.

“And by the way, I’m being critical of Kalen DeBoer (but) we didn’t dare criticize Nick Saban two years ago when they had 15 or 17 penalties. Maybe we should have.”

Finebaum added that he believed Alabama fans needed “something to wrap their arms around” going forward.

“The next couple of weeks can give them that. To think that Alabama has to run the table, they had to do that last year, and they did. I’ve seen crazier things from Alabama teams than beating a Missouri team that is imminently beatable and an LSU team that has some flaws, although they’re playing better.

“And also, recruiting matters. Whatever happens during the season, what you do immediately after the season in recruiting will help fans feel a lot better about the future.”

On3 ranks Alabama No. 1 in its class of 2025 recruiting rankings while 247Sports ranks the Crimson Tide at No. 2.

Alabama is ranked No. 15 in this week’s US LBM Coaches Poll. The Tide will host No. 17 Missouri at Bryant-Denny Stadium Saturday. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. The game will be televised on ABC.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X, and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Alabama news and notes, plus opinions. 

Paul Finebaum makes his prediction for Alabama vs. Tennessee

The ESPN analyst made his pick for Alabama vs. Tennessee on Saturday.

One of the most known voices in SEC football today has officially made his prediction for the Week 8 matchup between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Tennessee Volunteers, as ESPN’s Paul Finebaum revealed his official pick Saturday morning.

Done as part of ESPN’s “SEC Nation,” which was broadcast live Saturday morning from Knoxville, Finebaum, a Tennessee graduate, picked the Crimson Tide to win the game this afternoon over the rival Volunteers.

In addition to Finebaum, fellow “SEC Nation” analysts Roman Harper, a former Alabama player, and Tim Tebow picked Alabama to win, while Laura Rutledge predicted Tennessee to come away victorious.

Earlier in the week, Finebaum also commented on the game as part of ESPN’s morning show “Get Up,” saying that the eventual loser of the Alabama vs. Tennessee game was “in trouble.”

Who will win “The Third Saturday in October” on Saturday between the Alabama Crimson Tide and Tennessee Volunteers?

Paul Finebaum says loser of Alabama vs. Tennessee is ‘in trouble’

Finebaum shares his thoughts on Alabama vs. Tennessee.

With both teams already owning a loss entering Saturday’s showdown in Knoxville, it’s clear that the Week 8 game between the Alabama Crimson Tide and Tennessee Volunteers is a massive one for both teams, especially when it comes to eventually making the College Football Playoff or not.

That thought has been echoed throughout the week by numerous analysts across college football as well, the latest of which was Paul Finebaum on Friday morning, who commented on the game as part of ESPN’s “Get Up.”

“I think the loser of this game is in really big trouble. Let’s say Tennessee loses. They don’t have an impressive win any longer because they beat Oklahoma, and that didn’t amount to anything. NC State, they have nothing on their resume. They’ll be in trouble. They also have a game at Georgia in November which I cannot imagine them winning. Alabama is in a little better shape with a loss. They go to LSU where Brian Kelly has not lost a home game. The loser of this game is in trouble. I think that’s putting it succinctly.”

In addition to that, host Mike Greenberg also asked Finebaum on how fans will react if Alabama were to lose to Tennessee on Saturday, with the ESPN host adding:

“Terribly. I was in Alabama for two days this week, and Bama fans are already beside themselves. They’re not calling him Kalen DeBoer, they’re stopping me at the airport and saying what’s with this guy. There’s a serious bail out on the new guy who just weeks ago was on top of the world.”

Alabama and Tennessee will meet Saturday, October 19 at 3:30 p.m. ET. The game will be available on ABC from Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee.

https://twitter.com/GetUpESPN/status/1847263541473996829

Paul Finebaum concerned about the direction of Oklahoma Football

ESPN SEC expert Paul Finebaum thinks Oklahoma may be trending in the wrong direction.

The Oklahoma Sooners have seen the general college football public dunk on them multiple times in the last month, and it certainly isn’t a good feeling.

First, it was a sloppy loss against Tennessee in front of a national television audience where head coach [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] was forced to make a change at quarterback.

Then, it was last Saturday, again in a loss, again in front of the entire nation on ABC. With ESPN’s top play-by-play duo once again calling the Sooners, OU suffered an ugly loss in the Red River Rivalry against Texas.

The college football world seems to think that Oklahoma isn’t “[autotag]SEC[/autotag]-ready,” at this point in time, they’re probably right. OU looks way behind the elite teams in the Southeastern Conference because of their offense. They look plenty of steps behind Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns and the schedule isn’t getting any easier in the new league.

The latest voice to pile on was ESPN SEC analyst Paul Finebaum, who had been very complimentary of Venables and the Sooners coming into the season. He seems to have changed his tune after seeing Oklahoma stumble to a 4-2 start and a 1-2 mark in the conference.

On “The Paul Finebaum Show” earlier this week, the SEC Network analyst discussed where the Sooners are at right now. He expressed his concern for where things could be headed and said a decision made all the way back in the winter of 2021 could be partially the reason for the struggles that are occurring right now.

“Here’s the problem with Oklahoma: they chose an unusual route when they hired Brent Venables,” Finebaum said. “Some of it had to do with him being a beloved figure out there for having coached under [autotag]Bob Stoops[/autotag]. So, he came in terrible first year, he bounced back, and this year is trending toward a mess.”

Finebaum went on to say that if Venables isn’t careful and Oklahoma suffers a few more losses, the fans of Sooner Nation will begin “chirping again.” He also said that’s just the nature of coaching at a school like Oklahoma. So, if he’s not able to turn it around, the questions about whether he’s the right head coach for the program will only grow louder. This is something Venables needs to address, and address quickly by winning football games. The best way to do that is to take care of the laundry list of problems his Sooners have had offensively in 2024.

Brent Venables is by no means a bad coach. But a 6-7 mark in Year 1 was painful to watch. Bouncing back in Year 2 with a 10-3 record was promising, but OU still lost a couple of games they should have won and missed the Big 12 Championship game. Now halfway through Year 3, Venables sits at 4-2. With a brutal schedule coming up, an exhausted defense, and a terrible offense, OU could be staring down the barrel of another .500-level season.

That isn’t nearly good enough in Norman, and like it or not, head coaches are judged on wins. Venables should (and will) be given time by the administration, but six-win seasons are not what this program is about.

Venables has fixed the defense for the most part. A unit that plagued the Sooners for years is pretty good this season. What Venables does to fix his offense will determine how much OU can improve in 2025 and how the rest of the country views him as the head coach of the Oklahoma Sooners.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Aaron on X @AaronGelvin.

Paul Finebaum names Texas football’s biggest threat

ESPN Paul Finebaum names the biggest threat for the Texas Longhorns

ESPN analyst Paul Finebaum has long praised the Georgia Bulldogs, and he went on “SportsCenter” again to discuss how tough an opponent they will be against the Texas Longhorns.

“Georgia has not looked good but remember what we saw yesterday, perhaps a look ahead to the weekend in Austin. Carson Beck is playing well; there are elements to Georgia’s team that are not,” said Finebaum. “But they will be a formidable foe for Texas. Texas has seen some good teams but they have not seen anyone quite like the Dawgs.”

With this quote, he hinted at a potential offensive showcase, and it’s understandable. Georgia has averaged 33.5 points per game, including more than 35 points per game in the past three games, while Texas has averaged over 43 points per game.

Georgia has more at stake in this one. The Bulldogs already have one loss, so Georgia would have an uphill battle to make the SEC championship if it lost to Texas.

“Another loss (for Georgia) would almost be incalculable,” Finebaum said.

However, there is a discrepancy in the defense. Texas is ranked No. 1 in the country in scoring defense, only an average of 6.3 points per game. Georgia has allowed 17.2 points per game, ranked 20th in the country. Georgia has been on a disturbing slide recently, as they’ve allowed 28.3 points per game in the past three games. We’ll see if the defense, especially the secondary, can get back to early season form against the Longhorns.