Paul Finebaum on the future for G5 football teams: 'It's not in a good place'

Amid a changing college football landscape, analyst Paul Finebaum shared that he has concerns about the future for Group of Five teams in college football.

Finebaum explained during an appearance on McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning that the problem for the G5 is finding a way to compete. In particular, it’s going to be difficult to compete given the financial future of the sport.

“It’s not in a good place,” Paul Finebaum said. “I think because it just feels like they’re getting trampled. A school like Memphis, which you mentioned last week, or even UAB, unless there’s a second division where there’s a legitimate tournament, which is still open for conversation, I don’t think the G5 fits in very well — primarily because the expense of being elite in college football has gone up considerably.”

In the 12-team College Football Playoff, the G5 is, essentially, guaranteed a single spot based on the five highest-ranked conference champions getting into the Playoff. However, it’s unlikely due to the perception of G5 teams that a second would make it as an at-large bid. On top of that, as the financial gap between G5 schools and power conference schools grows, it seems like it’s going to be more difficult for those schools to keep up.

Because of those challenges, as Paul Finebaum alluded to, there have been some who think the G5 should have its own postseason tournament, separate from the power conferences. The idea is that it would be a more attainable goal for those schools, but it would also be an admission that they’re not on the same playing field.

As college sports continue to change, it seems like the financial gap and the ability to keep up is going to continue to grow between the power conference schools and the G5. In the past, that was seen in things like having coaches poached for higher salaries or not being able to afford the same caliber facilities. However, if players do become school employees, it would add another challenging financial reality for schools.

All of this is coming shortly after it was reported that all 32 Division I conferences were going to be footing the bill in the House v. NCAA settlement. That’s an amount that could be as much as $2.77 billion. For smaller conferences, that would be a significant financial burden.

There is still time for things to change. However, for now, the future is uncertain for the Group of Five and its place in FBS football.