Paul Finebaum blames SEC's struggles on 'pedestrian people' coaching teams

For the third year in a row, no SEC teams will compete for a national championship following Ole Miss‘ loss to Miami in the Fiesta Bowl on Thursday night. The last team to win it all from the conference was Georgia, who won titles back-to-back under Kirby Smart in 2021 and ’22.

During his weekday show, Paul Finebaum sounded off on the SEC’s struggles in the CFP in recent years. Finebaum believes it might have something to do with who’s leading these programs.

“The SEC has a lot of really good teams, but some of those really good teams that we thought were really big wins turned out not to be all that impressive,” Finebaum said. “And the middle of the league is good, but it’s not great. And I think that’s what came back to haunt (the SEC.)

“And I think (Pat) Forde said something that’s true, and I know it’s not popular to say on airwaves like this. But the SEC has a lot of very average coaches. It has a couple of top-flight coaches. But I mean, there are some pedestrian people in this league, and that is part of the problem.”

After Nick Saban retired, Kirby Smart became the only coach in the SEC to have won a national championship as the headman. Georgia has been to two College Football Playoffs in a row as well, but have lost in the Sugar Bowl both seasons. This includes the 39-34 loss to Ole Miss from New Year’s Day.

With five SEC teams — Georgia, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Alabama and Oklahoma — occupying the 12-team playoff field, it appeared as though the odds were in the conference’s favor. After the Rebels beat Tulane in the first round, it set up the Georgia-Ole Miss quarterfinal matchup. This guaranteed the SEC a spot in the national semifinal.

However, the Rebels would come up short against Miami in the Sugar Bowl on a controversial Hail Mary pass, losing 31-27. Now, the ACC’s Miami Hurricanes and Big Ten’s Indiana Hoosiers are set to do battle for the national championship on Jan. 19 while the entirety of the SEC sits home and watches it happen.

Several teams from the SEC will likely be considered for the national championship in 2026. For now, an Indiana win could give the Big Ten Conference its third national title in a row. That’s a major leg up on the competing conferences, and a narrative the SEC will hope to end this time next year.