Paul Finebaum reveals 'very slim path' for Alabama to reach the Playoff
Paul Finebaum believes Alabama isn’t completely eliminated from College Football Playoff contention.
While the SEC Network analyst has been outspoken on his disappointment regarding Nick Saban’s coaching job this season, Finebaum revealed a “very slim path” for the Crimson Tide to get a ticket to the dance.
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“Actually, there’s a very slim path,” stated Finebaum, surprising the crew on Get Up on ESPN. “Here’s the deal, Alabama has to win out. That’s obvious. Then, LSU has to lose twice. If that happens, then if you’re a Bama fan you’re holding on for dear life, then Alabama has to go, they can go to Atlanta, beat Georgia and guess what, they’ve found a way back in.
“The mathematical odds of that are very small, but there is still a sliver of a chance.”
However, Heather Dinich disagreed with her colleague, believing both Alabama and Clemson to be done for.
“No, and it’s not because of resume or wins or losses, these are not looking like Top 4 teams,” stated Dinich. “Clemson got destroyed on the road against Notre Dame, they have quarterback issues. Alabama, wide receiver drops, no push upfront on the offensive line, penalties, turnovers, you name it.
“They’re not Playoff teams.”
Regardless, Alabama has a borderline impossible path to the College Football Playoff, but Paul Finebaum isn’t counting out Nick Saban completely just yet.
Paul Finebaum: ‘College football has caught up to Alabama’
Continuing, the “Mouth of the South” Paul Finebaum went on ESPN’s First Take on Tuesday morning with a scorching hot take for Stephen A. Smith and USC alum Keyshawn Johnson. The SEC Network analyst has had Nick Saban and the University of Alabama on blast ever since the team’s overtime loss to LSU on Saturday.
On Sunday, Finebaum was ringing the death knell on the Nick Saban dynasty and by Tuesday, he claimed that the rest of college football has caught up to the Crimson Tide.
“You can never rule out a school like Alabama… But I think college football has caught up to Alabama,” Finebaum said. “At the end of this season when Alabama is sitting home watching the national championship, that will mark five years, Alabama has one title.
“Nick Saban was winning titles pretty much every other year and those he wasn’t winning, he was in the championship game.”
Continuing, the ESPN host went on to call out the 71-year-old legend for complaining about the media’s coverage instead of “grabbing players” in the spring.
“I’ll go back to April, (Saban) called me and he was not happy because I wasn’t as sympathetic as you were,” Finebaum said. “At the same time he was calling you and calling me, he should have been out grabbing players. You know the player, Keyshawn, that might have cost Alabama this season is residing in Southern Cal.
“Jordan Addison, the Biletnikoff winner, he was close to Bryce Young and considering going to Alabama. You can tell me why he ended up choosing to go to Southern Cal, there may be, I don’t know, quite a few, somebody get some dollar bills out. I think that one player might have been the key to the season.”
Stephen A. Smith quickly responded and called out Finebaum’s claims as blasphemous.
“It’s one year, it’s one year,” Smith said. “This is the greatest coach in the history of college football. One year, you’re going to do this?
“And your evidence is what? They had two last-second losses over the last three weeks and that erases 15 years of unprecedented dominance? This is the kind of blasphemy that I can’t take. You should be ashamed of yourself Paul Finebaum.”