Paul Finebaum admits SEC not winning national championship is 'a big blow to the ego' of the league

As the dust settles on the first season of the expanded, 12-team College Football Playoff, Paul Finebaum believes it might’ve bruised the ego of the SEC a bit.

For the second straight season, the conference was shutout of the CFP National Championship Game, and while many pundits champion the SEC as the top group of teams in all of the sport, they didn’t perform very well during the 12-team dance. It’s something Finebaum regretfully admitted when evaluating their performance.

“I think in the moment, it’s a very big story, that the SEC hasn’t won — hasn’t been there in two years,” Finebaum explained, regarding the conference’s trouble in the CFP, via McElroy & Cubelic in the Morning. “But I think if you pull the camera back, it really doesn’t matter a whole lot. I think in sports, we tend to look at things over a period of time, not just immediately. The SEC’s record speaks for itself. I think it’s unwise for some to try to argue that this past season was anything different than what it turned out to be. I mean, I’ve heard people talk about, ‘Well, maybe the SEC — certainly the SEC is stronger top to bottom.’ I think we already know that. We live it. It’s not bragging, nor is it boasting, to say that the SEC, top to bottom, is the best league.

“But when you don’t win the title. When you don’t go to the championship. When the champion ends up beating two of your schools, and your champion loses in the quarterfinals — it’s a big blow to the ego of a league that has thrived for more than 20 years on how big and bad and brawny and successful the SEC has been. So, that is more of a shot for the psyche than any great narrative changing because of what has happened the last two years.”

All told, Ohio State was a thorn in the side of the conference during the 2024 campaign. They dismantled Tennessee during the First Round, and then they took care of business against Texas during the Semifinals of the CFP.

On the other hand, Notre Dame crushed Georgia’s dreams during the Quarterfinals of the CFP, as well. If it wasn’t for the Longhorns, the conference would’ve been completely dismantled during the 12-team CFP, and that doesn’t sit right with the SEC.

Moving forward, Paul Finebaum and many other college football pundits will be expecting the SEC to return to glory in a big way. Whether it’s Georgia, Texas, Alabama or some other team, the conference needs to make a mark in 2025, after a disappointing 2024 season.