Tag: Paul Finebaum

Paul Finebaum believes UGA can make CFP with three losses

Paul Finebaum explains how Georgia is the only team that can make the College Football Playoff with three losses.

With the expanded College Football Playoff, there’s still hope for teams that suffer two losses to win the national championship, but three losses may seem like enough to eliminate some teams. After all, since 2021, only two teams with three losses have ranked in the top 12 heading into conference championship weekend.

However, ESPN analyst Paul Finebaum thinks that the Georgia Bulldogs can buck the trend.

“I think the only team in America that could possibly lose three games and get in the playoff is Georgia,” he said on an interview with UGASports.com, “Because I don’t think the Alabama loss really counts. I know that sounds crazy but everyone that watched that game knows it was an even game. The committee will look at that and go, ‘They lost by one play in Tuscaloosa, so have they made up for that?’ And how can Georgia make up for that? Well, they’ll have to beat Texas I think, frankly because you need something.”

Currently, Georgia sits at No. 4 on the US LBM Coaches Poll. However, they not only have No. 1 Texas on their schedule, but also No. 8 Ole Miss and No. 9 Tennessee next month. The Bulldogs do already have an impressive win over No. 11 Clemson.

ESPN currently has Georgia’s playoff chances at 75.2%, which is the fourth-most of any team in the country. Georgia still has only one loss in its last 44 regular season games.

If Georgia wins at least two of those three (Texas, Ole Miss and Tennessee) games, they’d easily make the playoffs. However, it’s an interesting scenario Georgia fans could be privy too if they lose two more games.

However, Georgia has to take care of business in its other games if the Bulldogs want to have a chance at the playoff. Georgia’s next game is on Saturday, Oct. 12 against Mississippi State.

A furious Alabama fan delivered an all-time rant about the Vandy loss on Paul Finebaum Show

Alabama fans are not taking the Vandy loss well.

As if it wasn’t already obvious, Alabama fans aren’t taking kindly to the team’s shocking loss at Vanderbilt on Saturday.

On Monday’s The Paul Finebaum Show, the ESPN college football personality took a ferocious call with “Legend from Alabama” that will go down in “angry fan yelling at his sports team” history.

Legend absolutely excoriated new Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer on the call, hysterically comparing the Vandy defeat to someone’s spouse being caught in adultery with their neighbor.

“Paul, I’m in sports hell, brother,” the caller named Legend told Finebaum on the program. “I never thought I would utter these words. Vandy is my daddy. Can you believe that?”

Yowza. You can hear Legend from Alabama’s nearly 7-minute call below. Just, erm, don’t share this with DeBoer.

Feature image courtesy of ESPN. 

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Texas A&M HC Mike Elko speaks to Paul Finebaum ahead of facing Missouri

Mike Elko knows that limiting turnovers and dominating the trenches is the key to victory

On Friday afternoon, less than 24 hours before Texas A&M hosts the 9th-ranked Missouri Tigers on Saturday afternoon, Aggies’ head coach Mike Elko sat down with SEC Network lead analyst Paul Finebaum to preview the matchup.

Throughout the week, Elko has dealt with the looming question of who will start the quarterback position against the Tigers after it was revealed that Conner Weigman had returned to practice this week in limited form as his shoulder continues to heal. Redshirt freshman QB Marcel Reed is a perfect 3-0 as the team’s starter this season.

Facing a top-5 ranked Missouri defense, Reed’s dual-threat running ability is an obvious plus. Still, despite being given mostly clean pockets in last Saturday’s win against Arkansas, his accuracy, especially downfield, was an issue. Nevertheless, he’s likely to start his fourth consecutive game, barring any last-minute changes.

With SEC Nation starting its coverage in College Station on Friday, Finebaum set the stage ahead of the critical matchup, asking Elko what the Aggies need to do to set the tone and control the game from the onset to start 3-0 in SEC play potentially.

Yeah, for sure, and I said earlier in the week, for us to pretend like the kids aren’t aware of the magntitude of these games, you’ve got SEC nation here, you’ve got alot of hype around this game, so you kind of acknowledge that, right?” Elko stated. “This is a big oppurtunity and there are going to be a lot of eyes on us Saturday, and then you go through that and say, okay, here’s what we have to do to be succesful, and the recipe usually doesn’t change.

Elko and his team know what this win could do for the program, while a loss would put the Aggies behind the 8 ball and a likely 8-4 finish.

Texas A&M will host Missouri on Saturday, Oct. 5, at 11:00 a.m. CT. The game will air on ABC and will be available for streaming on ESPN+.

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Paul Finebaum predicts who will win the Georgia-Alabama game

ESPN college football analyst Paul Finebaum picks who will win the Georgia at Alabama football game

ESPN college football analyst Paul Finebaum predicts that the Alabama Crimson Tide will defeat the Georgia Bulldogs. Finebaum is rolling with the Crimson Tide despite previously picking Georgia to win the expanded College Football Playoff in the preseason.

No. 1 Georgia hits the road to play No. 4 Alabama. Georgia is the first team to be favored in Tuscaloosa since 2007.

“I am not feeling the love right now for the Dawgs,” said Paul Finebaum on ESPN’s SportsCenter. “And two weeks ago, Matt (Barrie), we talked on your podcast, they were ruling the nation. But that game against Kentucky has a lot of people very nervous.”

Finebaum is referring to Georgia’s narrow 13-12 win over Kentucky. The Bulldogs and Crimson Tide both had a bye week in Week 4 ahead of their Week 5 game, but Alabama looked much more impressive entering their bye week. The Crimson Tide dismantled Wisconsin on 42-10 on the road in one of the top performances of Week 4.

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Head coach Kirby Smart and Georgia are looking for revenge after losing to Alabama in the 2023 SEC championship game. The Bulldogs narrowly missed the playoff last season and have been thinking about that loss for a long time.

“Nope. I don’t think we chase the past at all,” said Smart on using the 2023 SEC championship loss as motivation. “I think that you watch the tape, the two different teams, we’re focused on what we can do to be our best this week.”

Georgia’s game at Alabama is the first in a trio of challenging road games that Georgia has to face over the next few months. The Bulldogs also have to play at Ole Miss and Texas.

Georgia enters the Alabama game with quite a few challenges.

“Carson Beck wasn’t good. They lost one of their best offensive players (offensive guard Tate Ratledge). Their defensive line is banged up,” continued Finebaum. “And they’re heading to Tuscaloosa, which is never good for the Dawgs.”

Georgia will have to be at its best to leave Alabama with a win. The Bulldogs have not won at Alabama since 2007.

Paul Finebaum after Wolverines beat USC: ‘Michigan really saved the season’

Love when he has to say good things about #Michigan! #GoBlue

Everyone had left Michigan football for dead after the loss to Texas, but after the upset 27-24 win against USC, suddenly, the Wolverines are being looked at in a new light.

Even Paul Finebaum is getting in on the action.

On Sunday, Finebaum appeared on Matt Barrie’s show. Though he didn’t have a lot of words about the maize and blue overall, he gave ample credit and noted that it isn’t that Michigan is bad, perhaps Texas is just that good.

“Michigan really saved the season,” Finebaum said. “That was a defining moment for Sherrone Moore after we wrote them off. And my biggest takeaway has nothing to do with those two schools. It had everything to do with Texas went in there a few weeks ago and beaten them so badly which makes me even more impressed with Texas.”

We’ll know more in the coming weeks with a trip to Washington at the start of October, a tough road trip to Illinois a few weeks later and a home game against Oregon to start November. If Sherrone Moore can continue to build this offense out with Alex Orji under center, by the time Ohio State comes around, Michigan could be much more formidable than it looked through the first few weeks of the 2024 season.

Paul Finebaum believes Jackson Arnold is the key to Oklahoma vs. Tennessee

As the Oklahoma Sooners get set to take on the Tennessee Volunteers, Paul Finebaum believes Jackson Arnold is the key to the Sooners.

It’s a heavyweight showdown in Norman on Saturday night. The Oklahoma Sooners host the Tennessee Volunteers in a top-15 matchup. It’s a game that features the return of Josh Heupel and, more importantly, a battle of former five-star quarterbacks.

The Tennessee Volunteers boast the No. 1 offense in the country. Oklahoma’s defense has a big challenge ahead of them as they take on one of the top rushing offenses in the country. Oklahoma’s ability to slow down the run will be critical to the Sooners success. But for ESPN analyst Paul Finebaum, it comes down to the offensive side of the ball and quarterback Jackson Arnold.

The Oklahoman’s Colton Sulley spoke with Finebaum ahead of this big-time matchup that Arnold holds the key to Oklahoma’s success.

This game is so much about Jackson Arnold. He just has to be consistent. I like him very much. I had a chance to talk to Jackson two weeks ago and was impressed with his poise, his demeanor, what he said, how he said it, but that doesn’t scrape away what he’s done so far, and he’s not been great. So, he has to play probably close to a perfect game, he can’t make mistakes, he can’t turn the ball over. He can’t give away points. The problem with Tennessee is they score. They score with abandonment. And as good as OU’s defense is, you can’t throw away a possession because you’re not going to get it back. And unless you get points on the defensive side, you’re in trouble. – Paul Finebaum to The Oklahoman

Jackson Arnold has been solid in his first three starts of the 2024 season, especially when you consider he hasn’t had his full complement of wide receivers or much health along the offensive line. But he showed a lot more comfort in the offense last week against Tulane.

Aside from the interception returned for a touchdown, Arnold was really good, leading the Sooners in rushing yards and helping the offense score 34 points, their most since week one.

But this week against Tennessee marks the biggest test in Arnold’s young career. If he can play poised and under control, the Sooners offense will have an opportunity to make plays against the Tennessee defense.

More: Sooners Wire staff predicts Oklahoma vs. Tennessee

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‘Book it!’ Paul Finebaum says Arch Manning will win the Heisman Trophy

ESPN’s Paul Finebaum isn’t holding back his admiration for Texas Longhorns QB Arch Manning, saying he’ll win the Heisman Trophy.

Going into Saturday’s game with UTSA, Texas Longhorns QB Quinn Ewers was the odds on favorite to win the Heisman Trophy. After the game ended, the favorite might be Arch Manning. Though probably not this year.

Probably.

Ewers had to leave the game in the second quarter with an oblique strain. Manning entered the game and threw a TD on his first play. Ran for a TD on his third play and accounted for five total touchdowns.

Manning looked great, and even though Ewers has been exceptional this season, fans and media are talking about Manning taking over. While that is unlikely, it is certainly exciting for Longhorns fans to think about what could happen with Arch officially at the helm next season.

Noted ESPN SEC commentator Paul Finebaum thinks a Heisman is in Manning’s future. He’d be the first Manning to win the coveted trophy if that happened.

https://twitter.com/awfulannouncing/status/1835301944526610476

“Book it. Arch Manning is going to win the Heisman. I am in on that. His granddad and Peyton probably should have won it and Arch will. Can you imagine? He’s replacing a Heisman favorite right now. I don’t know if he’ll win it this year, but Arch Manning will definitely win the Heisman at Texas.” — Paul Finebaum

Arch will most likely start Texas’ next game against UL Monroe. After that? We’ll have to see.

Paul Finebaum ‘all-in’ on the Georgia Bulldogs

ESPN college football analyst Paul Finebaum explains that he is “all-in” on UGA football

With the Georgia Bulldogs now being No. 1 on the US LBM Coaches Poll, there are several people considering them as the favorites to win the national championship. One of those people is ESPN anchor Paul Finebaum, and a few days ago, he doubled down on it. According to a recent interview he did on SportsCenter, he is “all-in” on Georgia football.

“I’m all-in, and I know that is saying a great deal after watching Texas play (against Michigan), but I feel like Georgia is a notch above,” Finebaum said.

“They’ll get each other in the middle of October and we can settle that. By the way, there’s a chance Georgia and Texas could play three times this year: in October, in Atlanta in December, and some time, probably for the national championship. I think they are that elite, but I think Georgia is in a class of its own and that’s why I am all-in.”

It appears that Paul Finebaum is not straying away from his preseason national championship prediction. He predicted that Georgia would win it all ahead of the 2024 college football season.

It’s interesting that he mentions the Texas Longhorns, considering that some people, like Joel Klatt, consider them on the same tier as Georgia. Texas is currently No. 3 on the US LBM Coaches Poll.

Texas A&M coach Mike Elko has eliminated ‘fingers on a chalkboard’ ahead of Florida game

“There is a lot of hip hop on the Mike Elko Spotify, it’s just from a different genre and different age, old school,” the Aggies coach said.

Ahead of the Texas A&M football team’s SEC opener on Saturday afternoon at Florida, head coach Mike Elko appeared on The Paul Finebaum Show and explained how the Aggies are preparing for their first road game.

“Honestly what we do, and this is probably a little bit of a new-age coach, I promised the kids that I would never do the actual crowd noise stuff because as an assistant, that used to drive me crazy and would feel like fingers on a chalkboard. The kids always want music, that’s what they all want at practice, so when we’re all simulated, we put the speakers right behind the offense and we turn the music up about as high as we can get it. The speakers literally portably move right behind the offense, so it’s pretty deafening, but it’s the music that the kids wanted at practice so it kind of goes both ways,” Elko said. “The kids have the access to our operations staff and we let them kind of figure out what they want. I just tell them how bad it is every time I listen to it.

“I’m probably a little bit different than what you think too, there is a lot of hip hop on the Mike Elko Spotify but it’s just from a different genre and different age, old school.”

Kickoff at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville is scheduled for Saturday at 2:30 p.m. on ABC.

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Paul Finebaum says a loss to South Carolina in Week 3 would be ‘shattering’ for LSU

Things could get rough for Brian Kelly and the Tigers if they don’t open SEC play with a win on Saturday.

LSU finds itself in a situation similar to the one it has been in for the past two seasons. The Tigers suffered a loss in the season opener before bouncing back against a team that was not as competitive. Now, LSU enters conference play and needs a win to help bolster the confidence of this team.

To do that, LSU will have to go on the road and beat the South Carolina Gamecocks The Gamecocks looked round in Week 1 against Old Dominion as they barely squeaked out a victory but last week they went into Lexington, Kentucky, and put a beatdown on the Wildcats.

Paul Finebaum said another loss for the Tigers, especially in this game, would be tough to overcome.

“I think it would be a shattering loss,” Finebaum said, per On3. “I’m a big fan of Brian Kelly but to have two losses by the middle of September would be really hard to handle. LSU fans are great fans but they’re also quick to start asking questions. They would certainly be asking plenty of them.”

Finebaum has a lot of crazy takes, but he makes a solid point. If LSU loses Saturday and drops to 1-2 this season, Tiger fans will have a lot of questions about this team.

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