Paul Finebaum to the NCAA: 'We Don't Need Them Anymore'

College football continues to be at the center of one of the most chaotic eras in the history of the sport.

NCAA Fighting Eligibility Cases

The NIL and transfer portal eras have brought new challenges for the sport. But eligibility has become the newest battle. Players across the country are battling the NCAA in the court system for extra years. Not all of them have won, but there are several major cases, like Ole Miss Rebels quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, who has received that extra season.

Now, the big battle the NCAA is facing is the eligibility of players who were in NFL camps, and some even appeared in preseason games. The NCAA passed a new "five-for-five" rule that gives players five years to play five years, meaning there are no more redshirts. Well, that has players who were a part of the 2022 class who hadn't used their fifth season but left college thinking they were out of eligibility to fight for that extra season.

This has left players and teams in limbo. Programs are rushing around to do their due diligence about adding a potential player. But conferences like the SEC, Big Ten and the ACC have passed rules against those players playing for their schools.

Inside the NCAA Headquarters located in Indianapolis. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Paul Finebaum Blasts NCAA Amid College Football Eligibility Chaos

This has resulted in ESPN's Paul Finebaum criticizing the worth of the NCAA on "The Paul Finebaum Show."

"It doesn't really pay to keep blaming them," Finebaum said. "They are an inept organization that's only chance of survival is getting the Senate to pass this bill. That turns a lot of people off. I, for one, don't want the NCAA to survive... we don't need them anymore."

Finebaum Questions Whether College Football Still Needs the NCAA

Finebaum's criticism gets to the heart of the current problem: college football's governance has become increasingly fragmented. The NCAA is dealing with court challenges, while individual conferences are establishing their own eligibility policies, and lawmakers are being asked to help create a broader framework.

Whether the NCAA ultimately survives isn't something that will be decided by Finebaum's opinion. But the fact that a prominent college football voice is openly questioning its relevance shows just how much the organization's standing has changed.

College football has already entered an era in which NIL, transfers and eligibility are being handled in ways that would have been unthinkable a decade ago. Until there is a consistent system that everyone understands, the chaos is likely to continue, and the NCAA will continue to face questions about whether it is capable of providing that stability.

Add us as a preferred source on Google