Paul Finebaum Calls Out Major College Football Coach for 'Utterly Ridiculous' Comments

Paul Finebaum is in attendance at the Mississippi Rebels against the Miami Hurricanes. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

One of the things that makes sports special is when coaches go at each other in the media.

That's what is happening between former in-state Big 12 rivals, the Texas Longhorns and the Texas Tech Red Raiders. Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian previously called out Texas Tech, which made their first College Football Playoff appearance last season, for its schedule.

"There's a team in our state in another conference with a schedule that I would argue, if I played with our twos and threes [on the depth chart], we could go undefeated," Sarkisian told a crowd in Texas earlier this month. "And they'll probably make the CFP this year."

Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire walks the field during spring football practice. | Nathan Giese/Avalanche-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

McGuire then fired back. He said he would love to play Texas, and he even offered to buy out games against Texas State and Abilene Christian to make room on the schedule. He said the game could be played Week 1 in Lubbock or at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.

Texas Tech Board of Regents member Cody Campbell said that Texas Tech will pay the buyouts of Texas State and Abilene Christian to help out.

ESPN's Paul Finebaum has also chimed in. On "The Paul Finebaum Show," he said that those comments were ridiculous, especially since Texas already has to play Ohio State in Week 2.

"Joey McGuire... says he talked to Texas State and Abilene Christian, and would love to buy out those games to play Texas in Week 1, if not Lubbock, then AT&T Stadium," Finebaum said.

"Let me just say how utterly ridiculous that is. Sark said it, and Sark said a lot, but you are going to play Texas Tech on Week 1, when you play Ohio State on Week 2? I mean, how absurd is that? I know it's a good Tweet and Cody Campbell will tweet at a bus going down the street, but the point is, everybody's got to get into the act these days."

The thing is, Sarkisian is right by saying that Texas Tech faces an easier schedule than they do. That's just the reality of where the SEC is compared to the Big 12.

He's not right that he could go undefeated by playing his backups, because Sarkisian never went undefeated in the conference when he was in it. Texas also hadn't won the Big 12 since 2009, before doing so in its final season in 2023.

But McGuire shouldn't take that as a slight. Who cares what Sarkisian thinks? Who cares how you get to the College Football Playoff? You don't need to justify how you made the playoffs. You made it, and Texas didn't.

If you want to really show Sarkisian, go make the playoff again, but this time, win the whole thing.