Paul Finebaum reacts to Lane Kiffin comments, idea of teams not wanting to play in SEC Championship

Lane Kiffin started quite a conversation this week about the SEC Championship and how teams feel about it in relation to their chances of making the College Football Playoff.

Paul Finebaum addressed that notion while on ‘Get Up’ earlier this morning. He agreed with Kiffin in that teams in the Southeastern Conference feel as though playing in that additional game, regardless of if they win their way in or getting in through a tiebreaker, and losing it will impact their hopes of being in the playoff, especially if they enter it as a two-loss team already. Finebaum went back to just last season, although in the context of the former four-team model, for an example of what they’re meaning too.

“SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey told me last week that it should be a reward to get to the championship game. But the bad news is it is not,” Finebaum stated. “Kirby Smart last year had an undefeated regular season. He went to the championship game, lost to Nick Saban, and got knocked out of the playoffs.”

“So, yes, what Lane Kiffin said was correct,” said Finebaum. “You’d rather not go there but the problem is you don’t have a choice in the matter. There’s going to be a tiebreaker and you get in based on the number of tiebreakers…It doesn’t matter whether you want to or not. You better win the game if you do go. If you end up with three losses, you’ve very likely going to get knocked out.”

As part of that segment, though, Heather Dinich took the opposing view. She feels the CFP’s Selection Committee would take the circumstances of a loss in a conference championship into account. She also knows the way to fix this issue entirely for them – which is win once they’re in the game.

“So, the committee also considers who you’re playing, where they’re ranked and how the game unfolds. Everyone’s assuming, just because you lose, you’re going to get knocked out,” said Dinich. “Also, toughen up. Win your conference championship game and prove that you’re one of the best teams in the country.”

Entering this week, Texas and Texas A&M are atop the standings in the SEC. Their rivalry game in the finale, though, means, assuming they both win this weekend, only one will be in. If that happens and Tennessee, Alabama, and Ole Miss win out, that’d be a five-way tie for second place. Georgia is a part of that as well but have no more conference games.

Then there’s the added context of the playoff ranking. Ahead of the third release tonight, the SEC could have four to five teams in with their conference champion and remaining at-larges. However, if one of those at-large berths ends up going to Atlanta with two losses, comes out of it with a third, and then isn’t in the playoff the next day, it would add further concern about the pros versus the cons of being in it to begin with.

This is as interesting as it is with six teams still pushing for playoff spots with one almost certainly and two very likely to be out. Still, no matter how it goes in the SEC Championship this season, Finebaum is expecting several of them from the conference to still be in the CFP.

“I think there will be four,” said Finebaum. “Some of it depends on Notre Dame. If Notre Dame were to lose one of the last two games, it might open the door for five.”