Finebaum: Five Loss Tide Should Make Playoff

Yesterday, outspoken Alabama native and Crimson Tide groupie, Paul Finebaum, opened his Pardon My Take segment with perhaps his boldest opinion yet.

“I don’t believe there’s any situation where Alabama shouldn’t be considered for the College Football Playoff. As long as Nick Saban is head coach of the Crimson Tide, they are among the best teams in the country, regardless of their record. A three loss Alabama team is better than an undefeated Oklahoma team. A five loss Alabama team is better than an Oregon team riding a twenty-game win streak. To claim that they are not among the top four best teams is absurd and frankly insulting to Nick Saban, the University of Alabama, and the SEC as a conference.”

Finebaum had barely finished his sentence before he was pounced on by his cohosts. Big Cat and PFT began to barrage their guest with hypothetical situations.

“Let’s say Clemson has a bad loss the first game of the season, to someone like Georgia Tech. But then the Tigers blow the doors off everyone else on their schedule. They would have to be ranked in the top four, right?”

What if UCF wins twenty-five straight games including a win over an SEC opponent that goes on to beat Alabama that same year…”

“Let’s say Georgia goes undefeated. Alabama beats an LSU team that has one loss at the time to Auburn. Alabama loses to Auburn in the Iron Bowl 49-52, and ends the regular season with two losses overall. Auburn has three losses on the season, all three of them to teams in the top twenty-five. Because Alabama beat LSU (also has two losses) they represent the West in the SEC Championship and then lose a close game to Georgia. Should they get the fourth spot with three losses?”

But the Alabama native would not budge.

“In that last situation, yes they should get the fourth spot. Depending on the other teams at play, you might be able to make a case that they deserve the third spot overall. Losing a close game to another talented SEC team is, in most cases, better than a win against an ACC, PAC-12, or BIG12 team, with only a few exceptions. Listen fellas, I don’t need to tell you the SEC is the best conference in college football. I think there are some years when the conference could have four representatives in the playoffs. But most years, two or three teams is fair. Two SEC teams should be the bare minimum, otherwise the committee is not doing its job. I don’t care how much Oklahoma beat Kansas by because in that same week Florida is playing Georgia. You play the teams in your conference, true, but some conferences are just plain bad. I don’t want to see a representative of a bad conference sullying my television screen on New Years with ugly, losing football. I feel bad when they are thrashed, I really do, because they should never have been placed in that game by the committee in the first place.

And with regard to a Group of 5 contender, give me a break. We tried Notre Dame last year and they were beaten like a dusty rug by Clemson. And UCF wouldn’t have even beaten Notre Dame last year, let alone contend with Clemson. Their schedule is pathetic. While they are playing a 6-4 Tulane in Week 13, Alabama is playing… 3-8 Western Carolina, okay bad example, but you know what I mean.”

To wrap up his segment, Finebaum outlined his plan for how the SEC should trade Tennessee for Clemson with the ACC. “It would be a win for everyone involved.”