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Paul Finebaum names ‘bare minimum’ for successful Alabama football season
By Andrew Olson
Published:
Paul Finebaum is never shy about sharing his opinions, especially those about Alabama football.
Spring football practices are being held around the country, including in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide are gearing up for Year 2 under Kalen DeBoer.
In DeBoer’s first season, Alabama posted a 9-4 record, falling to Michigan in the ReliaQuest Bowl. Finebaum recently appeared on On3’s Andy & Ari where he was asked if Alabama must reach the College Football Playoff.
“I think it’s the bare minimum,” Finebaum said of a CFP berth. “I’ve walked out, as you guys have, of national championship games under Nick Saban and it felt like a disastrous season because they didn’t win it all.
“Alabama fans are spoiled rotten, and they should be. They’ve had the greatest run that anybody’s had in a very, very long time. It’s understandable. I think the Playoff now kind of dumbs down the system and you’re in the SEC and 3 times go and you don’t, it feels like a mess.”
Finebaum has been critical of DeBoer since the Crimson Tide missed the Playoff and lost the ReliaQuest Bowl. In January, Finebaum said he was no longer sure of DeBoer being a “good hire.”
It’s safe to say the pressure is on for DeBoer to notch double-digit wins with a Playoff berth in 2025.
We asked @finebaum what Alabama needs to do to be successful this season.
— Andy Staples (@Andy_Staples) March 26, 2025
A College Football Playoff berth is “the bare minimum,” he said. pic.twitter.com/TcrvKO9DDC
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
