Paul Finebaum talks key factors in SEC "down year"

USA Today

28-01-2025

Texas, capitalizing on a weaker SEC this season, made an immediate impact in their inaugural year in the conference. While the Longhorns excelled, much of the SEC struggled, leading some experts to deem it a 'down year' for college football as a whole.
Amid the league's challenges, Texas's standout performance provided a rare bright spot and sparked conversations about the state of the conference. Critics, including ESPN's Paul Finebaum, have been quick to dissect the factors contributing to the SEC's recent struggles.
Appearing on Monday's episode of McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning, Finebaum shed light on the changing landscape of college football, noting that the SEC's dominance has waned in recent years. A key issue? Quarterback play, which Finebaum described as 'subpar' across the board this season.
For a league long associated with elite talent under center, the decline was stark. Even big names like Texas' Quinn Ewers and Georgia's Carson Beck faced adversity, with injuries hampering their ability to lead consistently. Meanwhile, Texas freshman Arch Manning's debut offered a glimpse of the future, but with just two starts and limited action, any assessment of his potential remains premature.
'I think, you know, it's easy to say, well, the quarterback was subpar in the SEC this year,' said Finebaum. 'But, if you look at the championship game, the two quarterbacks in that game, while they performed well, were certainly not the kind of quarterbacks that usually turn programs around.'
Beyond that? Well, plain old circumstance.
'I think some of it is just circumstance. These things happen in sports,' said Finebaum. 'You know, you can argue for the rest of the month that the Buffalo Bills were the best team in the NFL but they're still staying home from the Super Bowl.'
He goes on to talk about Steve Sarkisian's old boss, Nick Saban. Saban is still very active in college football through ESPN's College GameDay. Finebaum shared this about Saban:
'Well, I mean, I think you always start with Nick Saban but that's predictable. And the fact is that we all know, since 2009, Saban has won six of those. So, I mean, that's a big deal when one person in particular has captured not only six championships but has been in nine title games,' Finebaum said. 'If you take that out of the equation, the SEC doesn't look nearly as dominant.'