Paul Finebaum is proof that ESPN will hire anybody to be an “analyst”, and credibility simply doesn’t matter. Finebaum will get on TV each week and toot his SEC horn so loudly that he drowns out the rest of college football. In his latest rant, he claimed that the Group of 5 trying to get a team into the College Football Playoff is like a Triple-A baseball team trying to qualify for the MLB playoffs.
“(The American Conference) really has no business playing. It’s like letting the best Triple-A team to the Major League playoffs; it doesn’t happen in any other sport,” Finebaum said, during a segment on First Take.
"The Group of Five with South Florida ... that division really has no business playing. That's like letting the Triple-A best team into the Major League playoffs."@finebaum believes the best college football teams should make the CFP 😅 pic.twitter.com/T0cPfijD4Y
— First Take (@FirstTake) November 12, 2025
This is baseless, insulting and tone-deaf to the modern evolution of college football. Finebaum comes from an era where the SEC dominated the sport, but that’s no longer the case thanks to NIL upending the national landscape. It’s not a problem, but it does mean the scales are balanced.
It’s wild for Finebaum to think G5 teams don’t belong when two of the best G5 teams this year have each beaten SEC teams this season (South Florida over Florida and Memphis over Arkansas). It's contradictory for Finebaum to say the best teams deserve to get into the CFP field when he's advocating to allow more SEC teams in over good G5 teams. Even the ACC is having a down year, and that doesn't mean they need more teams in just because they're the ACC.
Not only does the G5 deserve to play in the College Football Playoff this season, but they deserve some respect. This year, more than many others, G5 teams are actually good — and treating them like FCS schools isn't the answer.
The possibility of multiple Group of 5 teams landing in the CFP would break Paul Finebaum
This season is as good of a chance as any for multiple Group of 5 teams to get in. I doubt two will come from the same conference, but it’s very realistic that the American Conference and the Sun Belt champions get into the CFP, which will come down to the ACC sorting itself out. If that breaks right (four-loss Duke is still very much alive), Finebaum wouldn’t know what to do with himself. Though if he paid even half attention to any other conference, it wouldn’t be that difficult to comprehend.
South Florida is ranked in the College Football Playoff rankings for the first time ever, and they deserve it after the season they’ve had. They’re the favorite to be the Group of 5's representative. James Madison is the next G5 team that could get in; if Duke somehow wins the ACC as a four-loss team, it’s likely they will not be ranked high enough to get in over the Dukes.
Aside from JMU, Tulane, San Diego State and even Memphis (through some good fortune) are all still in contention. It's hard to think multiple G5 teams could get into the Playoff, but if it comes down to putting in a G5 team over a three-loss SEC team that isn’t a conference champion, you can’t omit the smaller school just because they’re not in a power conference.
Paul Finebaum is overlooking one major key with the College Football Playoff
Finebaum mentioned that the best teams should get into the CFP, and that’s about the only thing I agree with. That said, his reasoning is severely flawed. Just because a team lost in a stronger conference doesn’t mean they’re better than the teams that won in a weaker one. The whole point of the playoff is to reward teams for good seasons. It’s no different than the NCAA Tournament in college basketball.
Having an undefeated (season is no small feat, regardless of what conference you’re in. If you’re South Florida or James Madison, you’ve put together a strong year and should be rewarded with a CFP appearance if you have a high enough ranking.
Stuffing the CFP field with mediocre SEC teams just because they play in a better conference defeats the purpose of a playoff. You’re supposed to earn your way into it, not just be given a spot by default. We’re not clamoring for bad G5 teams to get in, we want the best G5 teams to be rewarded for having good seasons. Three-loss power-conference teams had their shot, multiple shots in fact, and blew it. Let someone else have a turn.
South Florida and James Madison fit the bill, even if they play in weaker conferences. The ACC is weak and giving them the benefit of the doubt just because they’re in a power conference doesn't sit right. Things change each season and this year, G5 teams have earned respect, even if it comes at the expense of the bigger, stronger conferences.