Paul Finebaum not ruling out six SEC teams making College Football Playoff

Last season, the SEC only had three teams make the first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff field, with three others — Alabama, Ole Miss and South Carolina — being left out in the cold despite strong resumes. It sparked outrage and enough consternation from within the SEC ranks that it effectively forced the CFP selection committee to alter its own metrics to further emphasize strength of schedule, which tends to favor the highly competitive league over its Power Four peers.

That change has already borne fruit for the SEC, which has seven teams currently ranked in the Top 15 of the latest College Football Playoff rankings released Tuesday evening. And, with just three weeks remaining in the regular season, ESPN firebrand Paul Finebaum believes half of this season’s 12-team field could ultimately be filled by SEC programs.

“I wouldn’t rule anything out from that standpoint, because I just think – and I’m trying to look where the SEC could go wrong – I don’t think they have a lot of problems,” Finebaum said Monday on McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning. “Alabama can hurt itself, but I don’t think it will. It’s hard for me to believe Alabama is going to lose more than one game (down the stretch), and I don’t think they’re going to lose any at the moment.

“So I think it’s going to be a situation where Texas is the most interesting. I think if Vanderbilt gets a win against (No. 23) Tennessee at the end of the year, that’s going to put them in a really good spot. I’d land on five (SEC teams in the CFP field), but if there’s absolute carnage around college football — and why wouldn’t there be — it could even grow more.”

Entering Week 12, No. 3 Texas A&M (9-0, 6-0 SEC), No. 4 Alabama (8-1, 6-0 SEC), No. 5 Georgia (8-1, 6-1 SEC), No. 7 Ole Miss (9-1, 5-1 SEC), No. 10 Texas (7-2, 4-1 SEC), No. 11 Oklahoma (7-2, 3-2 SEC) and No. 14 Vanderbilt (8-2, 4-2 SEC) all have legitimate chances to make the 12-team field. In fact, ESPN Analytics is currently giving the five-highest-ranked SEC teams a greater than 50% chance to make the Playoffs, with the top four currently listed with a greater than 80% chance.

Paul Finebaum: ‘I believe the SEC is in the best position it’s been in really in some time’

Of course, with several of the aforementioned SEC teams facing each other over the final three weeks — including Saturday’s Top 10 showdown between the fifth-ranked Bulldogs and 10th-ranked Longhorns in Athens — there is bound to be movement down the stretch. This weekend also pits the 11th-ranked Sooners traveling to Tuscaloosa in what amounts to a revenge game for the fourth-ranked Crimson Tide after Oklahoma spoiled Alabama‘s Playoff hopes a year ago with a 24-3 home win in Norman. Upsets in either of those games could actually strengthen the SEC’s case for six Playoff teams, especially if there’s similar chaos in the Big Ten, Big 12 and ACC.

“I believe the SEC is in the best position it’s been in really in some time. Knowing what the schedule says, it’s still infinitely better than any other league,” Finebaum added. “But to me, Texas is the most interesting team. … I still feel like, because of the circumstances around college football — and the Notre Dame game (vs. Pitt on Saturday) will take care of something this weekend perhaps – but I still feel Texas is in a better position. Let’s say they lose this game (at Georgia) and beat Texas A&M at home (to end the regular season), it’s hard to find a more significant win than that game at the end of the year. And I think they would be a three-loss possibility.

“Oklahoma needs to keep winning, I think that’s pretty obvious. And Vanderbilt is also pretty interesting. Can they get in with two losses if they’re able to get by Tennessee? But there are just so many more possibilities in the SEC than any (other Power Four league). I think it portends for five teams pretty well.”

And, if it’s ultimately six, expect the other three Power Four leagues to make their feelings known. The SEC did the same last season.