Paul Finebaum sends grim warning to Kalen DeBoer if Alabama fails to make College Football Playoff

Alabama was the first team out in the rankings last season when it came to the College Football Playoff. Still, since they missed the field nonetheless, fans in Tuscaloosa are already looking at Kalen DeBoer going into the second year of his tenure with the Tide.

On ‘Get Up’ on Tuesday, Paul Finebaum was asked for his reaction on DeBoer’s placement on the impatience index in an article written by ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg, which said ‘Bama’s coach was in a tier of names who had to ‘deliver soon’. Finebaum agreed as a playoff berth may be the only difference in whether or not he gets support for a third year.

“Well, I’ve never spent a winter in Siberia but that’s what it will be like for Kalen DeBoer (if Alabama misses the CFP),” Finebaum joked.

Again, this comes after Rittenberg’s article that dropped on Monday. He wrote that the Tide’s fanbase should probably allow more time to DeBoer but, going on over a year and a half since the retirement of Nick Saban, they won’t be forgiving again if their team misses both of the first editions of the expanded field in his opening two seasons at Alabama.

“Should Alabama fans be a bit more patient with DeBoer, or anyone who took over for Saban? Probably. But it doesn’t work that way at a program with the most CFP appearances and six national titles since the 2009 season, three times as many as any other program during that span,” Rittenberg wrote in part about DeBoer’s circumstances. “DeBoer likely doesn’t need a title to ensure a third season in Tuscaloosa, but if Alabama misses the CFP again, any remaining patience among the Tide faithful will vanish.”

Still, Finebaum, barring a complete disaster this fall, doesn’t think it even gets to that point by season’s end. He already knows that leadership is in support of him as their head coach anyway with more patience for him from the university than from within the fanbase. Then, Finebaum also currently projects Alabama to be in his playoff field come December, which would be enough for DeBoer to stay another year with the Tide.

“I think he will survive unless it is a disastrous miss,” said Finebaum. “If he comes close? Greg Byrne, the athletic director there, very influential, is behind him. It was his big hire. But I think next year will be just a pressure cooker of epic proportions.

“But, I don’t think this is even a debate. I think Alabama’s already in the playoffs from where I sit.”

Finebaum fires back at Dinich for criticizing Alabama being ranked over LSU in Coaches Poll

Alabama is coming off a season where they failed to win double-digit games for the first time since 2007. That amounted to Alabama being ranked ninth in the Preseason Coaches Poll, the lowest they’ve been since 2008. Still, for some, even that ranking was too high.

One of those who thinks Alabama is ranked a bit too high there is ESPN’s Heather Dinich. She appeared on ‘Get Up’ on Tuesday where she argued that the LSU Tigers should’ve been ranked ahead of the Crimson Tide.

“It’s Alabama,” Dinich said. “Why are they getting so much credit? Did they all of a sudden get LSU’s quarterback, Garrett Nussmeier? Because, last I checked, they had some question marks there.

“I think Kalen DeBoer has some questions to answer. LSU should be ranked ahead of them right now, even though they’re gonna lose to Clemson in the season opener.”

Paul Finebaum was then quick to push back at Dinich. In particular, he wanted to remind her that Alabama got the upper hand on LSU just last season.

“I’m stuck in Kalen DeBoer’s guest room right now. And he just told me to remind you what happened last year in Baton Rouge,” Finebaum said. “LSU had a really good team and that same great quarterback, and they went in there and wiped the floor of the stadium in this case with the LSU Tigers.

“Think about this for a second. Alabama is ranked lower in this poll than any poll since 2008. That was Nick Saban‘s second year. Ultimately, this looks bad to me. Alabama is underrated. I frankly think they’re better than this, and, Heather, calm down already.”