Paul Finebaum Blasts College Football Playoff Committee for “Unforgivable” Mistake of Choosing SMU Over Alabama……
In a fiery and impassioned statement, Paul Finebaum, one of college football’s most respected analysts, has harshly criticized the College Football Playoff (CFP) Selection Committee for their decision to include Southern Methodist University (SMU) in the playoff over Alabama. Finebaum called the choice “an unforgivable mistake,” one that could not only have dire consequences for the integrity of the playoff system but also set an alarming precedent for the future of college football.
The controversy surrounding the playoff selections intensified when the committee announced that the unbeaten Mustangs would be one of the four teams in the playoff bracket, leaving out Alabama — a team with a record of success and competition in the nation’s toughest conference, the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Finebaum, no stranger to strong opinions, wasted no time in expressing his disappointment with what he perceived as a breakdown in the process.
“Alabama, with all its history, with its championship pedigree, and with its tough SEC schedule, deserves to be in the playoff. But SMU, from a much weaker conference, should never have been placed ahead of them,” Finebaum raged on his popular radio show. “This is an unforgivable mistake that undermines everything college football has worked to build. We are watching the death of merit-based decisions.”
Finebaum’s criticism hinges on the belief that the CFP Selection Committee abandoned its responsibility to prioritize the best teams based on performance and competition level. He argued that Alabama, despite losing a few games during the regular season, had faced arguably the toughest competition in the country, battling elite teams week in and week out in the SEC. On the other hand, SMU, while impressive in its own right, has played in a weaker American Athletic Conference (AAC) and faced a much less difficult slate of opponents.
“The SEC is the toughest conference in America. Every year, Alabama has to face top-tier teams — Georgia, LSU, Tennessee, Auburn, Florida — all programs that can go toe-to-toe with anyone. To then suggest that a team like SMU, who has faced teams nowhere near the caliber of Alabama’s, deserves a spot in the playoff is a joke,” Finebaum stated. “Alabama may have had a couple of losses, but they’ve earned their spot by playing the toughest schedule and competing at the highest level.”
At the heart of Finebaum’s argument is the belief that college football’s playoff system should reward strength of schedule and overall performance against top-tier competition. He warned that the committee’s decision to favor SMU was an example of “narrative-driven decision-making,” where storylines and underdog appeal take precedence over actual football merit.
“You cannot continue to diminish the value of the regular season by letting a team from a lesser conference leapfrog a team like Alabama simply because it has an undefeated record,” Finebaum said. “The committee is sending the wrong message. Winning should be about beating the best. The argument shouldn’t be, ‘Well, they went undefeated against lesser competition.’ That’s not how college football should be run.”
Finebaum also expressed concern about the message this decision sends to future teams and recruits. By putting a team from a mid-major conference like SMU into the playoff, the selection committee risks incentivizing teams to schedule weaker opponents in order to build a perfect record, rather than strengthening their résumés through tougher competition.
“If this continues, we’re going to see more teams from non-Power Five conferences trying to pad their schedules and avoid real competition. That’s a slippery slope for the sport,” Finebaum warned. “We need to preserve the integrity of the playoff. If we let this kind of decision stand, we might as well throw out the idea of earning a playoff spot through actual competition.”
In his tirade, Finebaum didn’t just criticize the committee’s choice; he questioned its credibility and decision-making process. He asked how the committee could possibly justify bypassing Alabama, a team that has been a national title contender year in and year out, in favor of SMU. “This is about more than just Alabama,” Finebaum said. “This is about the future of college football. If you reward teams from smaller conferences for simply not losing, you’re sending a signal that you don’t care about the overall quality of play. And that’s a dangerous road to go down.”
Finebaum concluded his segment with a blunt warning: “The selection committee has made a grave error, and college football may never be the same again if they continue to make decisions like this. The integrity of the playoff is at stake, and this decision undermines everything this system is supposed to be about: rewarding the best teams based on their performance and their competition.”
As the fallout from the decision continues to reverberate, Finebaum’s remarks have only added fuel to the fire. Fans, analysts, and even players from both Alabama and other major programs have weighed in, echoing Finebaum’s concerns that the integrity of the College Football Playoff could be severely compromised. The inclusion of SMU over Alabama may seem like a victory for underdog supporters, but for Finebaum and many others, it’s a decision that threatens to destabilize the fairness of college football’s postseason.
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