Paul Finebaum names Billy Napier replacement that ‘would win a national championship’

Following a loaded Week 8 slate of college football, Paul Finebaum appeared once again on the Matt Barrie Show as he and the longtime ESPN personality discussed the fallout of yet another major college football program, Florida, going down the path of firing their head coach.

Barrie and Finebaum actually recorded before news broke of Florida head coach Billy Napier having been relieved of his duties with the Gators, but Finebaum all but confirmed the inevitability of his ouster, commenting that the job is 'pretty close to opening' when speaking on UF. He then singled out one candidate who would lead Florida back to the national title.

"I think Lane Kiffin, not at Penn State, but Lane Kiffin at Florida, is going to win — would win a national championship," Finebaum stated to Barrie.

Finebaum already commented this year that he believes Lane Kiffin would have packed it up and left Oxford for the Florida job if it came open last year. He's not saying that's what the Ole Miss coach will do this time around, but if he did make the jump, Paul Finebaum would have some very lofty expectations for the Gators.

In fact, Finebaum said back in September that he didn't believe Kiffin would take the Florida job if it came open this coaching cycle: “Not right now — a year ago, as I told you, he would have taken it," said Finebaum. "But it’s a year later. You don’t know.”

Of course, nobody really has a clue what Lane Kiffin will do if offered the job, but that Finebaum believes Florida could win a national championship with him at the helm speaks volumes of what he thinks of Kiffin and the UF program.

Finebaum: Ole Miss schedule gets dicey

As the topic of Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss came about, Barrie and Finebaum did take a few moments to touch on the Rebels first misstep of the season in the context of their greater postseason chances, because this club turns around for a matchup against a pesky Oklahoma team.

"If they drop two in a row, they’re going to be playing with no more house money the rest of the season," commented Paul Finebaum. "They’re they’re in a really difficult spot here."

A road trip at Oklahoma could spiral into a losing streak for this once-undefeeated SEC leader, but a win over the Sooners in Norman would immediately re-cement Ole Miss in the conference title discussion.

"They go to Oklahoma this week, Matt, and that’s a team that was in dire straits yesterday," Finebaum added. "But somehow South Carolina is making a lot of programs feel better about themselves this year."

Not high praise for the poor Gamecocks, but Oklahoma and Ole Miss certainly meet in a consequential conference showdown next Saturday, and we have a weekful of Lane Kiffin rumors to wade through until then!

The Crimson Tide will face South Carolina on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC.

Finebaum: Ole Miss schedule gets dicey

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