Paul Finebaum defends LSU as the best team in college football after Week 2

The 2025 college football season has already seen its fair share of chaos, particularly at the top of the sport. Amid all of that, the LSU Tigers have emerged as the team that’s caught ESPN pundit Paul Finebaum’s eye as the best team in the country following Week 2.

On Sunday Morning, Finebaum appeared on SportsCenter. There, he explained that because of the win over Clemson, he has LSU positioned not just at the top of the SEC but as the best team in the country as well.

“As I was saying, I’m all in on LSU right now,” Paul Finebaum said. “They are the best team in the country because they have the most significant win. There have been some good wins in the SEC, like Mississippi State last night, but I’m not ready to move them up. I am ready to put LSU [at the top], for now.”

LSU opened the season with that win on the road against Clemson, a team with College Football Playoff aspirations. He noted it as the most significant win, ahead of other Week 1 games, like the Ohio State win over Texas or the Miami win over Notre Dame. After that, the Tigers returned home to play Louisiana Tech. There, they took care of business and won 23-7.

Ultimately, Finebaum has LSU sitting at the top for now. That can change quickly, as we’ve seen already this season.

“Look out for Georgia,” Finebaum said. “They play Tennessee this weekend. Florida, I think, we can move to the back of the line. Oklahoma is moving up. Alabama is not going anywhere. So, count me in.”

The schedule looks to get increasingly difficult from here for LSU. The Tigers are set to host a Florida team that’s going to be desperate for a win next week. That begins a stretch where in three of four games, LSU plays teams ranked in the AP Poll going into Week 2. Five of their first six games against SEC opponents are also against teams ranked going into Week 2.

Booger McFarland calls for an end to the Death Valley debate after LSU win over Clemson

Going into the Clemson game, there was a lot of debate about which school had the real Death Valley. Now, former LSU player Booger McFarland believes that LSU ended the debate with their win.

“A couple of things. I think that’s very astute of you, saying that’s the biggest win outside of Alabama, because it is. It kind of puts the narrative to bed that BK can’t win a big game, he can’t win the opener. That’s number one. Number two, can we end the debate about who’s the real Death Valley?” McFarland said.

“I mean, at some point, if we’re gonna show up at your house and kick your door down when you take the bus around the stadium and run down the hill and touch the rock and all that stuff. Then we just shut you out in the second half. At some point, you’ve got to realize that there’s only one Death Valley and, oh, by the way, you get to come see it next year. That’s number two.”