Paul Finebaum, First Take crew debate Playoff pandemonium if LSU wins SEC title

College football analyst Paul Finebaum joined the set of First Take to debate the College Football Playoff with Stephen A. Smith and Chris ‘Mad Dog’ Russo. They quickly got into a heated debate about what to do with LSU if the Tigers managed to pull off an upset over Georgia in the SEC Championship Game.

Both Paul Finebaum and Stephen A. Smith agreed that this win would warrant a trip to the College Football Playoff, even though LSU has two losses. Chris Russo, on the other hand, can’t overlook that the Tigers have two losses on the year.

“If USC wins two games and TCU goes undefeated and LSU beats Georgia, I think you’ve got to take USC and TCU,” Russo said.

CLICK HERE to subscribe for FREE to the On3 YouTube channel

This prompted Smith to explode, confused that Russo thinks the beating Georgia wouldn’t be enough to make it into the CFP. He shouted, “USC over LSU if they beat Georgia? Come on man, they beat Alabama.”

Chris Russo then turned to Paul Finebaum for an answer about who gets left out in a scenario where USC, TCU, and LSU all win out.

“Stephen A. is 100% right,” Paul Finebaum said. “We’re talking about a win over Alabama, they’ll be in the top five or six, and a win over Georgia, the number one team in the country–in Georgia! C’mon, Dog. I mean that’s a ludicrous statement to make when you consider what LSU has to deal with and the committee puts a high premium on these championship games.”

Paul Finebaum also admitted there isn’t really any precedent for a two-win team making the Playoff. However, he feels that they’ve earned their way in. Russo vehemently disagreed, pointing out the Tennessee loss, especially now that the Vols have a bad loss to South Carolina.

“That will count against LSU,” Smith said. “The fact that they got smacked by Tennessee, 40-13. They got bum-rushed. But Alabama and then in an SEC Title matchup you beat Georgia, I don’t know if I could leave LSU out if they pull that off.”

This debate won’t matter unless LSU can beat Georgia. Clearly, however, if LSU does manage to beat Georgia, the debate is going to be incredible. On top of that, there is still plenty of other opportunities for chaos.

Paul Finebaum, Heather Dinich debate LSU

Earlier, Paul Finebaum and Heather Dinich appeared on Get Up where the two spoke about LSU and USC’s place in the race for the College Football Playoff.

“If LSU runs the table and somehow beats Georgia to win the SEC, they’re gonna make history as the first two-loss team in the College Football Playoff,” Heather Dinich said.

Paul Finebaum agreed, explaining why LSU will make it if they can beat Georgia.

“They’re sitting there at five with a victory of Georgia and they’ll be about a 15-16-point underdog in Atlanta next week,” Paul Finebaum said. “They’ll have a win over the number one team in the country. They’ll also have a win over Alabama, which will be probably in the top six, maybe a little bit higher depending on the chaos. I realize they lost the opener, but the chairman said that’s not going to be held against them, a one-point loss to FSU. The glaring problem on their resume is on October 8th when they lost at home by 27 to Tennessee, but they haven’t lost since and I think that will weigh heavily on the committee’s mind.”