Paul Finebaum speculates on what CFP committee will do with Alabama, Ole Miss, South Carolina

Come tomorrow’s final rankings release before the playoff is set this weekend, Alabama, Ole Miss, and South Carolina will all be on the bubble at 9-3 out of the SEC. Where will the selection committee fall on the three of them, though?

Paul Finebaum answered that question on ‘The Matt Barrie Show’ on Sunday but didn’t have too much certainty regarding the Crimson Tide, Rebels, or Gamecocks in the College Football Playoff.

“I don’t have a good answer for you today,” said Finebaum.

However, if Finebaum did have a preference among the three, it would be for ‘Bama considering his opinion on the Tides’ resumé.

“I mean, I’m gravitating a little bit back toward Alabama because I know they’re capable of beating good teams,” Finebaum said. “I would rather put in a flawed team that can beat a good team like Georgia than just put somebody in because they have a win over the No. 23 team in the country.”

With that said, Ole Miss would have that exact same argument considering the Rebels and Tide both beat the Bulldogs at home – yet they did so by two and a half times as much by margin.

Still, most of this conversation came down to the Gamecocks for Finebaum. While recognizing what they’ve done having won six straight, three being against ranked opponents, to end this season, he can’t get past that two of their own three losses are to the other teams that we’re discussing here in Alabama and, more specifically, Ole Miss.

“Yeah, I really don’t – I mean, I was vacillating as I watched Clemson that South Carolina belongs in,” said Finebaum. “But then you start thinking about South Carolina’s loss, yeah, to Alabama. Fluke or not, they still lost. And then what gets me about South Carolina is that just beatdown that Ole Miss put on them. I know it was weeks and weeks ago but it’s hard to square.”

“It really doesn’t matter what you did Labor Day Weekend. It helps, it puts you in position, which all these schools have done. But, if you’re looking at it in terms of how do you get a great tournament, which is what we’re looking at here – how are you playing?” Finebaum asked. “South Carolina is one of the most consistent teams in the country right now. Is that enough to get you over the fact that they got destroyed at home by one of the other teams who is trying to get in. I don’t have a lot of faith because committees tend to look at data points and the easy things that they can sing kumbaya about.”

We’ll all have a better feel of where these three stand after the release of the rankings on Tuesday. Even so, only one realistically among Alabama, Ole Miss, and South Carolina, if any at all, will find their way into the bracket on Sunday.