Paul Finebaum critical of Dan Mullen, eliminates Florida from contention

SEC Network analyst Paul Finebaum was critical of Florida and Texas A&M following disappointing Week Five losses which eliminate them from SEC contention. During his weekly Birmingham radio appearance with ESPN analysts Greg McElroy and Cole Cubelic, Finebaum ranted about a weak SEC race.

“The idea that on Oct. 4 that Texas A&M and Florida are both eliminated from the SEC, for all intents and purposes, and the CFP, is a pretty dramatic statement,” said Finebaum. “But I think we’ve found throughout these first five weeks that preseason predictions are worthless, and chaos is the story of the day.”

Chaos has ruled across college football but was particularly damaging for the SEC in Week Five. Florida and Texas A&M both suffered their second SEC loss of the season, making them longshots to reach the conference championship or the College Football Playoffs. Perhaps more damaging for the conference is the new perceptions that Alabama and Georgia have no real competition through the regular season.

While both appear set to roll into the conference championship game, any slip along the way could prove detrimental given the perceived lack of depth across the SEC his year.

Criticism of Dan Mullen

Paul Finebaum focused his attention on Florida coach Dan Mullen, who has been the topic of many conversations after the loss to Kentucky. The issues at Florida are not exclusive to Mullen, but they are his to fix.

“I think they’re in a perilous position,” said Finebaum. “If you’re at the University of Florida, you’re supposed to beat everyone. This is what has baffled me about Florida really since Urban Meyer left. The recruiting has not been what it should be, and the record is not what it should be.

He continued: “I think if you talk about the base of a program’s self-worth, Florida folks think they’re on the same level as Alabama. But the bottom line is they’re not. And I’m not hitting the panic button yet on Dan Mullen, because we’ve been at this crossroads a couple of times, and we always go back to form. But let’s see how this thing plays out.”

Coming into the season, many projected Florida as a two-loss team. With the upset loss against Kentucky, Finebaum predicts at least three with the possibility of a disastrous fourth on the horizon.

“Should they lose to Georgia, and I think we all expect them to do that, and if they slip up somewhere else, that’s another four-loss season. And that’s not really what you’re paid to do at the University of Florida.”

Florida remains favored against everyone but Georgia the rest of the way. However, the Gators entered as favorites against Kentucky on Saturday.