Paul Finebaum reveals how concerned he is about Alabama in College Football Playoff

The Alabama Crimson Tide are in the College Football Playoff. That’s despite limping a little bit toward the finish line and being beaten badly in the SEC Championship Game.

That finish to the season has some fans concerned about Alabama’s chances now that the Tide are in the Playoff. However, Paul Finebaum thinks those concerns are a little overblown. He’d explain his thoughts during a recent appearance on McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning.

“I’m not as concerned as some of the callers, I’m sure, will be,” Paul Finebaum said. “I think you hit the reset button. You get a great opportunity.”

Alabama will open the College Football Playoff on the road against Oklahoma. The Crimson Tide already lost to the Sooners at home last season and have not beaten Oklahoma since the Sooners joined the SEC. If the Crimson Tide win in Norman, they’ll move on to play top-seeded Indiana. That game against Indiana will also serve as the Rose Bowl this season.

“The pairings could have been a lot worse. I, frankly, think if Alabama can get past Oklahoma, at least on paper, they have a path. It may not be that great for anybody who watched Indiana play on Saturday night,” Finebaum said. “But I think a lot of Alabama people would feel pretty good about it.”

Most important for Paul Finebaum is the play of quarterback Ty Simpson. At times, he’s played like a Heisman contender. However, he’s struggled recently, throwing four interceptions in his last four games. In the SEC Championship, he completed just 48.7 percent of his passes for 212 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. He was a bit better in the first meeting with Oklahoma, completing 66.7 percent of his passes for 326 yards, a touchdown, and an interception.

“Anything I say about Ty Simpson, it will be articulated 1000 times more,” Finebaum said. “But something is wrong. Is it the lack of running game? Is it problems up front? But he just doesn’t seem to be the same quarterback he was eight weeks ago. I think that has to be a major concern going into Norman.”

Oklahoma boasts one of the best defenses in the country this season. In terms of pass defense, Oklahoma is 31st nationally, giving up just 192.2 yards per game through the air.

Oklahoma will host Alabama for the College Football Playoff on Friday, December 19th. Kickoff is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. EST.