Paul Finebaum Takes Subtle Shot at Clemson Ahead of LSU Showdown
ESPN's Paul Finebaum is known for his bold opinions that often spark controversy. He isn't hesitant to take jabs at conferences outside of the SEC.
Advertisement
Referred to as the "Mouth of the South," Finebaum frequently targets other conferences to ignite discussion. Recently, he has focused on the Big Ten, particularly because a Big Ten team has won the last two national championships, arguably positioning the conference as the top in college football.
However, Finebaum has now shifted his attention to the ACC during his show, "The Paul Finebaum Show." He recently belittled the champions of the ACC from last season, the Clemson Tigers.
Clemson Tigers place kicker Nolan Hauser (81) makes a 56-yard field goal to win the ACC Championship game against the SMU Mustangs.© Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images
"I think LSU could have probably made the playoffs in that league," Finebaum said.
Clemson made it to the College Football Playoff after narrowly escaping a significant lead in the ACC Championship Game against the SMU Mustangs. The Tigers were ahead 24-7 at halftime, but the Mustangs made a strong comeback and managed to tie the game at 31 with just 16 seconds left on the clock.
Advertisement
Fortunately for Clemson, Adam Randall returned the ensuing kickoff 41 yards to the Tigers' 45-yard line. Quarterback Cade Klubnik then connected with Antonio Williams for a 17-yard pass, leaving only three seconds remaining and setting up a 56-yard field goal attempt from SMU's 38-yard line. Kicker Nolan Hauser successfully made the field goal, clinching a 34-31 victory for Clemson and securing their automatic bid into the playoffs.
With a final record of 10-4, the Tigers had faced tough competition during the regular season. They suffered losses to the Georgia Bulldogs (34-3), Louisville Cardinals (33-21) and South Carolina Gamecocks (17-14), all of which were ranked No. 7, No. 12 and No. 15 by ESPN's FPI. That's not including the 38-24 loss to the Texas Longhorns in the College Football Playoff. The Longhorns were the No. 2 team in the FPI.
On the other hand, LSU finished the season with a 9-4 record. The Tigers faced defeats against the USC Trojans (27-20), Texas A&M Aggies (38-23), Alabama Crimson Tide (42-13) and Florida Gators (27-16), who were ranked No. 17, No. 16, No. 4 and No. 19, respectively.
It remains uncertain whether LSU would have achieved similar success to Clemson in 2024 had they been in the ACC instead of the SEC. Nevertheless, this topic makes for engaging discussions on the SEC Network.
Related: Paul Finebaum Names College Football Team That Will End Their Playoff Drought
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 6, 2025, where it first appeared.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
Penn State dismissed as national champions by college football analyst
Many college football fans and analysts alike thoroughly believe that the current Penn State Nittany Lions team under James Franklin is the best that the school has fielded since Franklin's arrival in Happy Valley in 2014. Some even believe the team is able to make it one step higher than they did last season and make it to the national championship game and come away with hardware. But ESPN's Paul Finebaum is not one of those some. After Heather Dinich picked the Nittany Lions to hoist the trophy in late January, the host of The Paul Finebaum Show was quick to throw in his two cents on her take, putting his confidence in the SEC's Texas Longhorns instead. 'RC, give me that SEC card back again. Heather, you had me until you said number one in the country,' Finebaum said on the Get Up podcast. 'There is no way. Texas is the best team in the country. They are going to win the national championship. There is no way the Big Ten does it three years in a row. If I had to bet on somebody, I would never bet on James Franklin doing it. He's a very good coach. He's not a great coach. Penn State will not win the national championship.' The Big 10 conference has won the past two national championships, but before then it was mainly the SEC taking home the gold before then, with six of the 10 titles in the 2010s going to SEC schools. But to be fair, Penn State and Texas could easily find themselves pitted against one another in the national championship in Miami in late January 2026, as both teams made it to the College Football Playoff semifinals, losing to the Ohio State Buckeyes and Notre Dame Fighting Irish, respectively. As if James Franklin and the Penn State Nittany Lions don't have enough people to prove wrong this season, one of the best minds in college football now finds himself on that list.
Fox Sports
8 hours ago
- Fox Sports
Is the Big Ten on the Verge of Claiming Dominance in College Football?
For years, the dominant conference in college football has been the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Since the start of the College Football Playoff era in 2014, the SEC has won six of 11 national championships. However, the tide could be turning, as a new superior conference may emerge, according to FOX's Colin Cowherd. The past two national champions have come from the Big Ten: Michigan in 2023 and Ohio State last year. Could this indicate a power shift in college football? With an expanded conference, the Big Ten conference now includes Oregon, USC, UCLA and Washington. While UCLA isn't a significant player in terms of conference impact, the advantages of NIL and revenue sharing make being a college student in Los Angeles more appealing. However, UCLA will still have to compete with crosstown rival USC, which has more recent success and a bigger brand. In its first year in the Big Ten, Oregon won the conference championship, defeating Penn State 45-37 and capping off a perfect regular season. Oregon earned a first-round bye in the newly formatted CFP, while two other Big Ten teams prepared for their first-round games. Penn State easily handled SMU, 38-10. Ohio State, coming off an upset loss to unranked rival Michigan, faced Tennessee in a highly anticipated matchup. In the first Big Ten vs. SEC game of the new CFP era, this matchup served as a measurement of the two superior conferences. The Buckeyes routed Tennessee, 42-17. On their path to another national championship, the Buckeyes faced another SEC opponent, the Texas Longhorns. Ohio State and Texas met in the semifinals; while the Buckeyes didn't dominate the Longhorns as decisively as they did against Tennessee, they still won by two scores and held Texas to 14 points — the lowest scored against them since November 2022. Cowherd pointed out that with NIL, the Big Ten now has money to spend and isn't afraid to do so. Last year, Ohio State had the most expensive roster, spending over $20 million on its team. This year, they again rank among the top spenders in the sport, coming in at No. 3, with three other Big Ten schools close behind: No. 4 Oregon, and Michigan and USC tied for seventh. In 2023, on their route to a national championship, Michigan defeated Alabama in the CFP Semifinals at the Rose Bowl, 27-20. Last season, in a "down" year for both programs, they met again in the ReliaQuest Bowl and it was the same result. Michigan defeated Alabama 19-13. To kick off the 2025-26 season, some of the top teams in the Big Ten and SEC are set to meet in Week 1. Ohio State hosts Texas in a rematch of the Cotton Bowl Semifinal, and the Buckeyes are favored -2.5 in this highly anticipated Week 1 matchup. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily! recommended Item 1 of 3 Get more from the College Football Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more in this topic
USA Today
8 hours ago
- USA Today
Clemson dominates USA TODAY Sports' 2025 All-ACC preseason football team list
Clemson on top? USA TODAY Sports' ACC writers and experts unveil predicted order of finish for 2025 football season. USA TODAY Sports is riding high on the Clemson Tigers ahead of the 2025 college football season. On Monday, a total of nine Clemson players were named to USA TODAY Sports' All-ACC preseason team. Moreover, Dabo Swinney was named preseason Coach of the Year while quarterback Cade Klubnik was tabbed preseason Player of the Year in the ACC. The preseason all-conference team was voted on by regional USA TODAY Sports writers who cover the 17 ACC schools. Those writers also made predictions for the 2025 ACC football season with their projected order of finish. Here's a look at the nine Clemson selections on USA TODAY Sports' All-ACC preseason football team, as well as where the Tigers landed in the network's predicted order of finish. Clemson offense lands four players on USA TODAY Sports' All-ACC preseason football team Five Clemson Tigers garner All-ACC preseason football defensive honors ACC football projected order of finish, per USA TODAY Sports Clemson sweeps preseason Coach, Player of the Year awards USA TODAY Sports' preseason awards also include Coach of the Year, Player of the Year, and Newcomer of the Year. Clemson football schedule 2025 Clemson will open the 2025 season against the LSU Tigers at Memorial Stadium in prime time on Aug. 30. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET. The game will be televised on ABC. All times Eastern. Contact us @Clemson_Wire on X, and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Clemson Tigers news and notes, plus opinions.
