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Paul Finebaum predicts how many SEC teams will make the College Football Playoff after Week 3

On3 imageby:Dan Morrison09/16/24

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Paul Finebaum
Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Three weeks of the college football season are now in the books. With that, there is already discussion from analysts like Paul Finebaum on how many SEC teams could make it into the College Football Playoff this season.

Finebaum was making an appearance on McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning, where Greg McElroy asked him to respond to Urban Meyer suggesting on Big Noon Kickoff the SEC could get seven teams into the CFP. It was an idea that Finebaum laughed about before giving a slightly smaller number of schools that could get in.

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“I’m still gonna stick with four because I think we can’t get hung up on the moment, and I think too often we do,” Paul Finebaum said. “Things start to happen…So, I think four is conservative. Five, possible. Seven, unrealistic.”

This is, of course, the first season where the College Football Playoff has expanded to 12 schools. The top five ranked conference champions are going to get in, with the top four ranked among those teams getting a bye. Then, there will be seven at-large bids. With that, the maximum hypothetical number of teams one conference could get into the CFP is eight.

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For the time being, there are plenty of SEC teams competing for a College Football Playoff spot. However, if the season finished today and the current AP Rankings decided the seeding, then the SEC would get more like six teams in. However, to Finebaum’s point, that’s in this current moment. The season is still young and the SEC has plenty of conference games to go for those top-end teams to lose a handful of games.

“I think what Urban [Meyer] is really saying there is not many schools here in the league that we’re covering that are worthy and I think, ultimately, that’s the message,” Finebaum said. “But I’ll stay with four.”

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Ultimately, the season is still young and most teams haven’t even started conference play yet. So, for now, there is plenty of time for things to change.

Paul Finebaum considers Urban Meyer as Florida interim coach

Billy Napier is still the head coach at Florida. However, for his part, Paul Finebaum thinks Urban Meyer would make sense as an interim coach for the Gators if Napier were to be fired.

“I don’t think those feelings are still there,” Finebaum said. “It’s been a long time. And one thing you can’t deny about Urban Meyer is he came within a paper clip of winning three national championships in four years there, and that’s all that matters.”

If, in this hypothetical, Urban Meyer were to become Florida’s interim, he would have to leave Big Noon Kickoff and help a team try and compete, even though the Gators might be a longshot for the Playoff.