Paul Finebaum Fires Back During Major SEC Program’s Playoff Controversy

One of the biggest controversies this last football season surrounded the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

The Fighting Irish concluded the year with a record of 10-2 and were ranked No. 10 in the projected College Football Playoff field as they approached the conference championship weekend.

However, they dropped behind the Miami Hurricanes in the final rankings, despite neither team competing that weekend. This change was likely influenced by the BYU Cougars' loss to the Texas Tech Red Raiders, who defeated them 34-7 in the Championship Game.

The shift in rankings came after conference championship results altered the committee’s evaluation. The BYU Cougars, who were ranked just behind Notre Dame and ahead of Miami, lost 34-7 to the Texas Tech Red Raiders in their conference championship game. Following that result, BYU dropped in the rankings, placing Notre Dame and Miami next to each other.

With the teams now directly comparable, the committee factored in Miami’s head-to-head win over Notre Dame earlier in the season, which contributed to the Hurricanes moving ahead in the final rankings. Notre Dame ultimately fell out of the playoff field and later declined a bowl invitation.

Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer speaks in a press conference after the 2026 Rose Bowl. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

At the same time, Alabama entered conference championship weekend ranked No. 9. The Crimson Tide lost 28-7 to the Georgia Bulldogs in the SEC Championship Game. Despite the loss, Alabama remained at No. 9 in the final rankings and secured a spot in the College Football Playoff.

The contrasting outcomes led to questions about the selection process. During "The Paul Finebaum Show," a caller raised concerns about potential SEC bias in the rankings. Paul Finebaum responded by defending Alabama’s position.

"There's no reason why Alabama should have been penalized for playing a game that Notre Dame did not have to play because they're too chicken to get into a league in football," Finebaum said. "So don't come in here and lecture me on the tragedy of what happened with Alabama."

Alabama went on to defeat the Oklahoma Sooners in the first round of the playoff before losing to the Indiana Hoosiers in the quarterfinals. Indiana would go on to win the national championship.

Under the current playoff format, a similar situation would be handled differently moving forward. If Notre Dame finishes inside the top 12 of the final College Football Playoff rankings, it would be guaranteed a spot in the field.

In last season’s format, Notre Dame was ranked No. 11 but was excluded due to automatic bids being awarded to conference champions ranked outside the top 12.

Under the updated structure, Notre Dame would have qualified for the playoff in that scenario. Making things very interesting this upcoming season, and likely causing more controversy.