Paul Finebaum Names College Football Powerhouse That's Not 'Relevant' Anymore

SEC Network's Paul Finebaum on set. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Clemson Tigers are entering a year where they either need to quiet the doubters or they'll give them more fuel for the fire.

Clemson Tigers Need to Recapture Championship Form

One of the biggest critics of the Tigers and their head coach, Dabo Swinney, is ESPN's Paul Finebaum. The two have been at odds for about a decade because, at one time, Clemson was the biggest threat to the SEC and, most often, the Alabama Crimson Tide.

From 2015 to 2020, Clemson made the College Football Playoff every year, won the ACC every year and defeated the Crimson Tide in two national championship games.

Since then, Clemson hasn't seen the same success. The Tigers missed the College Football Playoff for three straight seasons before returning in 2024 after getting an automatic bid for their last-second ACC Championship Game win. They would lose in the first round to the Texas Longhorns.

The team would then return the most production in college football in 2025, fueling national championship expectations. Finebaum even admitted that he bought into the hype. However, Clemson would go 7-6, its worst season since 2010.

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney speaks to the media during Media Day. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Paul Finebaum Says Clemson is No Longer Relevant

Finebaum went on another rant on Tuesday regarding Clemson's recent collapse. He said on "The Paul Finebaum Show" that the program is no longer relevant.

"[Clemson fans are] living in a finite period of time between 2015 and 2021 when Clemson was relevant," Finebaum said. "They're not anymore. They just can't get past it. Last year, I bought into the revival. (Cade) Klubnik, all of these great defensive (players). I had a friend who was connected to the program, and he said the defense was going to be the best in the country. I believed it. They were terrible. Nothing about that program is really worth promoting."

LSU Opener Gives Clemson an Early Chance to Respond

Whether Finebaum is right or wrong ultimately won't be decided in July. Clemson has an opportunity to reshape the narrative immediately with one of the biggest opening-week games in the country.

A win over LSU would give the Tigers the type of statement victory they've been missing in recent years and provide evidence that Swinney has the program moving back toward national relevance.

If they come up short, however, Finebaum's criticism will only grow louder, and Clemson will spend another season trying to convince the college football world that its championship days aren't behind it.