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Paul Finebaum admits there is ’cause for a lot of concern’ with latest SEC-less title game
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Paul Finebaum always joins The Matt Barrie Show on Sunday morning to discuss the latest college football news.
This week, Finebaum joined the show to discuss the upcoming championship game between Ohio State and Notre Dame. The veteran analyst admitted that there is “cause for a lot of concern” in the SEC after the conference failed to appear in the title game for the 2nd season in a row.
“That is significant. I know everybody likes to think that those of us who live in SEC country try to hide things like that. Even today, we’re still arguing for Alabama to get in,” explained Finebaum. “But that is a dramatic moment, it’s a seminal moment in time that I didn’t expect, especially with a 12-team Playoff. It is really amazing when you think about (the last time the SEC wasn’t in a title game). That was before Nick Saban, Urban Meyer had just arrived at Florida, Les Miles was about to start roaming the sidelines. To think that we are in that moment is cause for a lot of concern, at least in the Southern part of the world.”
Before 2023, at least 1 SEC team had appeared in each championship game since the 2015 season. With the field expanding to 12 teams, it would have been easy to predict several SEC teams making a run. Instead, only Texas made it to the semifinal round.
“I don’t care what any of my colleagues say in the South,” declared Finebaum. “There’s no way to sugarcoat this year for the SEC, there’s no way to alibi it, there’s no way to say anything other than we’ve got a team from Indiana and a team from Ohio playing for the national championship in Atlanta.”
The Buckeyes made it to the finals after defeating Tennessee, Oregon, and Texas. The Irish, meanwhile, took down SMU, Boise State, and Penn State to earn their spot. The B1G vs. Independent matchup in the finals will kick off from Atlanta on Jan. 20 at 8:30 p.m. ET.
Bryce Lazenby covers college football for Saturday Down South. A Nashville native, his previous stops include FanSided, Dimers, and The Leaf-Chronicle.
