ESPN’s Paul Finebaum bashes FSU, Clemson in conference realignment debate

After settling a lawsuit with the ACC, FSU and Clemson remain in Finebaum’s crosshairs as he questions their value in conference realignment.

Oct 18, 2017; Nashville, TN, USA; Television and radio personality Paul Finebaum does a live report from SEC Media Day at the Omni Hotel. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images / Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images

ESPN Analyst and SEC saber rattler Paul Finebaum has never been shy about the way he feels towards the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), and FSU in particular, when discussing the future of the two conferences and college football altogether.

Whether it was Florida State's historic 2023 College Football Playoff snub or the recently settled lawsuit filed against the ACC by FSU and Clemson, the two teams from the South seem to always be mentioned or on his mind.

Finebaum appeared on McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning and, in typical fashion, criticized the two schools, and when asked, agreed that North Carolina and Virginia were the institutions most likely to leave the conference and join the SEC. He noted, “Clemson and Florida State, while boasting impressive football credentials as the last two ACC schools to win national championships, don’t offer much in other areas.”

To backtrack a bit, the recent case closure between the ACC, Clemson, and Florida State offers a share of media rights to schools with the most success and viewership. This gives the two schools an opportunity to earn an extra $120 million until their Grant of Rights agreement ends in 2030. Nolegameday's Jackson Bakich, who has been covering the lawsuit in-depth, explains more about the details of the case here.

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McElroy did bring up a good point in the interview. With the conference buyout dropping to right around $75 million to leave the ACC in 2030, wouldn't the new revenue distribution model upset some of the other schools in the conference, inching them closer to an inevitable departure altogether? It most certainly opens the door in five years.

Finebaum said that the move was just to stop the bleeding — for now — and that living in the current landscape of college football is more important for ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips than when the time comes.

"If you're the commissioner of the ACC, you have to live in the moment," Finebaum said. "Yeah, you plan for the future, but you can't get too hung up on five, six, seven years from now because there is a good chance you won't be the commissioner... He (Phillips) made the best deal for the moment. He had to stop the bleeding...“There is a due date, and when that due date comes, it is going to be open season on the ACC, I believe."

Again, it seemed, Finebaum writhed his hands together at another opportunity to criticize the two universities, noting that Clemson's academic acumen is inferior to South Carolina’s (SEC) and Florida State's academic resume is inferior to Florida’s (SEC) despite FSU being ranked No. 23 nationally among public schools and Clemson being ranked No. 39.

“Clemson is inferior to South Carolina as an academic institution, and then you have the same situation with Florida State. They are behind the other state schools, as well as private schools, in Florida. So, I don’t think either one of them has much to offer, and quite frankly, Greg, I’m not really sure why the Big Ten would want either one of them.”

With conference realignment still casting a shadow over what college football will become, Finebaum's stance only fuels further debate. History has shown that the sports landscape can shift quickly, and when the next major move comes, Finebaum will surely have something to say about it.

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