Paul Finebaum reveals which SEC team could be a letdown in 2023

ESPN’s Paul Finebaum pegged LSU as a team that could be disappointing and it might not take long this year for it to turn sour.

The Tigers have a lot of hype surrounding the program following a division title in 2022. With Jayden Daniels back at quarterback and defenders like Harold Perkins and Maason Smith leading the way, LSU has a bevy of talent.

Finebaum revealed LSU could be in for a letdown and really disappoint those across college football.

“Well, I think LSU is probably the school that could be in that conversation,” Finebaum said on McElroy and Cubelic. “Because of the schedule. And we may be talking a week from today about what went wrong for them. I think that’s really the only major school in the SEC that will be in that conversation. Two weeks from now, the Alabama conversation comes back or could come back. So I think that’s the danger.”

However, the aforementioned Smith won’t play against the Seminoles. He was suspended for a game for signing autographs prior to NIL going into effect.

“I really don’t like the ‘one player will not determine the game’ but the Maason Smith situation, I think that has to make them uncomfortable (against Florida State),” Finebaum said. “He’s an impact player and I think he’s the type of player that could play a huge role in that game next Sunday night. 

“So I think that’s again, the schedule with Mississippi State and … Ole Miss later on, there’s just a lot of reasons that LSU could be disappointing.”

Smith was suspended after participating in an autograph session with LSU receiver Kayshon Boutte in the summer of 2021, some weeks before NIL regulation took effect and doing so would no longer have been an infraction.

Thus the NCAA deemed it an impermissible benefit, and Smith was suspended for a game. Heck, LSU wanted to schedule a Week Zero game so Smith wouldn’t miss the matchup against Florida State.

But as Finebaum pointed out, the schedule is tough. Not only do the Tigers have a top 10 matchup against the Seminoles to open the season, LSU has a road contest against Mississippi State early, at Ole Miss and also travel to Alabama in November.

That shakes out for a rough slate for the Tigers this season. And as Finebaum said, it could get off to a disappointing start if LSU drops a neutral site game to Florida State.