On Tuesday night, the College Football Playoff (CFP) committee released its penultimate Top 25 rankings, and the biggest headline for many college football fans was the decision to place Alabama over Miami, despite the Crimson Tide’s relatively lackluster season. This decision drew sharp reactions from pundits, including Paul Finebaum, one of college football’s most influential voices.
For context, Alabama, with two losses on the season, remained in the top eight of the CFP rankings, despite not winning their own division in the Southeastern Conference (SEC). On the other hand, Miami, which had one loss and had dominated the ACC, sat behind the Tide. This decision raised eyebrows, as Miami’s lone defeat came to a top-10 team in a highly competitive game, while Alabama had faltered against both LSU and Tennessee.
Paul Finebaum, a longtime ESPN college football analyst and radio host, voiced his thoughts on this controversial ranking during his show. His reaction was one of frustration, underscoring the inherent bias and inconsistency in the CFP rankings. Finebaum expressed his disbelief that Alabama could be rated higher than Miami despite the Hurricanes’ more impressive overall season. “The CFP committee is simply bending over backward to protect the SEC,” Finebaum noted, emphasizing that the committee’s ranking of Alabama was a clear reflection of the ongoing favoritism toward teams from the SEC.
Finebaum, who often critiques college football’s power structure, highlighted that Alabama’s inclusion in the top eight felt more like a brand-based decision than one grounded in merit. He pointed to Alabama’s reputation as a football powerhouse, led by head coach Nick Saban, as a driving factor in their high ranking. Despite losing two games, the Crimson Tide’s historical success, particularly under Saban, continues to give them a level of respect that other teams, like Miami, have not yet earned in the eyes of the committee.
This discussion also brings up the broader conversation about how the committee evaluates teams. Finebaum criticized the CFP committee for its apparent reluctance to reward teams from other conferences that have had strong seasons but lack the same media attention and prestige as SEC teams. “It’s not about who’s played the best football this year, it’s about who has the most tradition and fan base,” Finebaum added. He pointed out that Miami, which had a top-tier season within the ACC, deserved more respect, especially after being one of the top-ranked teams for most of the season.
Moreover, Finebaum also discussed the potential playoff implications of this ranking. He made it clear that Alabama’s inclusion, despite the two losses, could affect the playoff race, leaving less room for other deserving teams. The playoff committee’s priorities, according to Finebaum, seemed more focused on the brand appeal of Alabama than a clear, unbiased evaluation of team performance.
In the final analysis, Finebaum’s reaction was one of frustration and disbelief. His comments underscore a growing sentiment among many fans and analysts who feel that the College Football Playoff system continues to be flawed, giving preferential treatment to certain teams based on history and name recognition rather than the actual performance on the field. As the final rankings draw closer, it’s clear that the discussion over Alabama’s place in the playoff picture will only intensify.
