Paul Finebaum suggests it's time for the SEC, Big Ten to do what they want, forget everyone else

Paul Finebaum suggested the SEC and Big Ten should finally go rogue and do what they want to do in college athletics. Sure, this mostly revolves around football, since that sport butters everyone else’s bread.

But, the SEC and Big Ten seem to be aligned in what they’re doing in terms of scheduling, the College Football Playoff, the transfer portal, NIL and more. Finebaum, who mostly operates in SEC country anyway, thinks it is time.

If you’re the ACC, Big 12 or another conference, it’s put up or shut up time. Get on board or get left behind the SEC and Big Ten.

“What I took away from three days in Destin was that the SEC has finally decided it’s sick and tired of waiting and worrying and trying to deal with the rest of college sports,” Finebaum said on McElroy and Cubelic. “And I was really impressed when Greg Sankey told us … that everything we have to do, doesn’t have to be unanimous. We all know what that meant. And I’m not suggesting a secession, but I am suggesting that it’s time that the Big Ten of the SEC, who apparently are aligned very well, do what they want to do. 

“And if the rest of college sports doesn’t like it, too bad. You can join us or not. But I’m so sick of hearing all these proposals to make sure that everybody in the room gets something. This is not little league baseball. This is the absolute zenith of college football, and it should be treated that way, as opposed to making sure everybody gets a third place ribbon.”

Right now, the Big Ten is hesitant to move forward with any model until the SEC makes a change to its regular season scheduling. Sankey acknowledged that the two conferences might not always agree, but is confident a solution will be found.

“I accept that both conferences are gonna have different views on things,” Sankey said on The Paul Finebaum Show last week. “I think Tony (Petitti) understands that as well. I think we’ve communicated openly and honestly and there’s been points of agreement, point of disagreement. Ideas generated that haven’t been thought one place that are thought someplace else and you’re pulled along. We’ve met in person twice as four commissioners to talk about the current issues. And that’s just in the month of May, so it’s not really exclusionary.

“It was a recognition that, ‘Wow, we’re not really making any progress through these other meetings so let’s see if we can come together.’ I just told our presidents we need to figure out how to reinvigorate the conversation because we’ve had so much change at the presidential level.”