They say you don’t tug on Superman’s cape, and in college football, you don’t take shots at SEC unless you are ready to feel the heat. However, one CFB personality just did that, earning the wrath of Paul Finebaum. And mind you! Finebaum, who is known as “Voice of the SEC,” didn’t mince his words with his blunt and unapologetic retort. Honestly, in his career, spanning over 40 years, his raw opinions have surely left a mark, shredding at his opponent. And his hottest dig at Cam Newton is still fresh in our minds.
But this time, it’s not a player who ticked him off but rather an ACC program head coach. To follow what happened, let’s rewind to the press conference during the ACC Media event in Charlotte, North Carolina. It started with a confident breakdown of the depth chart. The HC, content with an undefeated 8-0 record (2024) in the conference and 11-3 overall record, spoke about tough schedule, followed by a dig towards its former conference, SEC.
It all unfolded on ESPN’s On Get Up show when host Mike Greenberg teed up Finebaum, prompting his reaction on SMU HC Rhett Lashlee’s jab at SEC, saying, “What’s your take on what was said yesterday?” He then followed up by playing a clip of the ACC media event. The Mustangs HC made a comparison between SEC and ACC, earning Finebaum’s scorn. “You look at our league,” Lashlee said yesterday. “We had like four 10-win teams, two playoff teams, a handful of nine-win teams, 13 bowl teams. I mean, there’s just not a lot of easy wins on the schedule. And there’s other leagues that claim depth, but like the SEC’s had the same six schools win the championship since 1964. Same six. Not a single one has been different since 1964. It’s top-heavy to me.”
Well, it’s more than a spoonful to take. Finebaum was not thrilled to such a point that he called them the most corrupt program in CFB history. And as in his classic Finebaum style, Paul had all the skeletons ready to drag out of the closet. “Mr. (Rhett) Lashlee, first of all, I think Alabama has won about 11 national championships in that period that he laid out,” Paul Finebaum said. “But that’s not even the main point. If I understand correctly, he’s the head coach at SMU. I bet you know where I’m going here. 1987.” And there it comes, one of the most notorious scandals in CFB history, the one which, in a way, wrecked the Mustangs’ future seasons for about a decade. It took SMU eight years to achieve its first winning season and a whopping 22 years to earn a bowl appearance (2009).
That’s not it. HC Lashlee wasn’t the only one who came under Finebaum’s sharp jabs. Another CFB HC also landed on the ESPN persona’s radar—one that is not in ACC, but rather holds top 10 in the Big 10.
Paul Finebaum gets blunt on Lincoln Riley
Paul Finebaum admired Lincoln Riley once during his coaching stint at the Oklahoma Sooners. But Paul has had a change of heart, owing to his (Riley’s) coaching authenticity. In 2021, Riley hit the gravel at Los Angeles, kicking off his first season with the Trojans, with Caleb Williams in tow.
“I want to say one thing before I go.” Paul put forth his views on the KREF Sports radio station in Oklahoma. “The thing that I’m most excited about, Big 10 media days, is I want to hear Lincoln Riley try to explain his last two years. Because I can’t think of anybody whose coaching has been more fraudulent since his first year with Caleb Williams. And I say that as somebody who admired what Lincoln Riley did at OU. I didn’t admire the way he left.”
The Trojans boasted about playing impressive non-conference games and Nattys. But now it appears as if they are running away from their opponents.
“But I really think, and I know a lot of people are still gnashing teeth in Norman and Oklahoma City and across that state, I frankly believe the sooner, Sooner Nation is better off today than it would have been had he stayed around. ” Since his departure to Los Angeles, Sooners hold a 23-17 record under Brent Venebles, which, in Finebaum’s opinion, is better off than Riley taking the charge. Nevertheless, let’s see how Lincoln Riley fares in the playoffs, with Jayden Maiava expected to be the QB1.
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