Paul Finebaum Issues Blunt Reality Check to SEC Amid Big Ten Debate

It just means more in the SEC, and after dominating college football virtually unchallenged for most of this century, the conference now finds itself on a three year run of not winning, or even playing for, the national championship.

It’s gut-check time for college football’s traditional powerhouse conference, Paul Finebaum believes, heading into what will be a consequential 2026 season.

“It’s a big deal,” Finebaum said bluntly to Awful Announcing.

“When you’re the SEC, and you boast with the best of them, and all the cliches and the monikers, and you don’t make it to the national championship game in three straight years, you’ve got a problem. That intensifies the pressure.”

SEC has dominated the sport

Paul Finebaum Issues Blunt Reality Check to SEC Amid Big Ten Debate — USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

No other conference came remotely close to defining college football since the turn of the century than the SEC.

Since 2005, the conference has claimed 13 national championships, with just Florida State, Ohio State, and Clemson occasionally interrupting what would have been a complete clean sheet for the SEC. That is, up until three seasons ago.

But since then, it’s been Michigan, then Ohio State, and then Indiana, which used SEC blue blood Alabama as a punching bag in a 38-3 demolition at the Rose Bowl quarterfinal as a stepping stone to its historic first national title.

That’s three straight for the Big Ten, and the SEC wasn’t even on the field for that run, with the Big 12 (Texas), an independent (Notre Dame), and the ACC (Miami) on the losing end of those three titles.

And now, Ohio State finds itself once again entering the season as the near-consensus favorite at most sportsbooks to go all the way again.

Don’t count out the SEC, though

There’s no shortage of firepower across the SEC to make a run this season again.

Texas has dominated Talkin’ Season so far, emerging as one of the favorites to win the conference championship, and sits right behind the Buckeyes in the national title odds, banking on the return of Arch Manning at quarterback and a tough defense.

Much of the conference’s hope also rests with Georgia, which has emerged as the best shot to win the league championship and contend for the College Football Playoff again.

Kirby Smart’s program was on the cusp of dynasty status after winning back to back titles in 2021 and 2022, but hasn’t won a playoff game since then.

Whoever does it, the conference has to make a comeback sooner rather than later, Finebaum says.

“I think it will be a failure for the SEC if the league does not win the national championship this year.”

(Awful Announcing)

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