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Ric Flair blasts Paul Finebaum over Alabama loss to Florida State, defends Ryan Day and Lincoln Riley

Danby: Daniel Hager08/31/25DanielHagerOn3
Paul-Finebaum-over-Alabama-loss-to-Florida-State-defends-Ryan-Day-and-Lincoln-Riley
© Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

The unexpected rivalry between ESPN‘s Paul Finebaum and pro wrestling legend Ric Flair has continued Saturday night.

Just hours after Flair lambasted Finebaum for being completely wrong about the result of Saturday’s Ohio State/Texas game, he went after the ESPN analyst again over his prediction for the Alabama/Florida State game and the comments he has made in the past about Ohio State head coach Ryan Day, USC head coach Lincoln Riley and former Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh.

“Well, Mr. Finebaum, I guess you lose again,” Flair wrote on Twitter/X Saturday night. “Florida State beat Alabama. Another bad prediction on your part. Do you know how hurtful it is to call people like Lincoln Riley, Jim Harbaugh and Ryan Day out by name when you are so far off the mark. Smarten up! You’re 0-2 so far! I am actually embarrassed for you and the comments you make about people’s personal lives. So sad!”

Finebaum was very confident in Alabama beating Florida State

Alabama and Florida State were tied at seven through the first quarter, but the Seminoles rattled off 17 unanswered points to take a 24-7 lead with 9:45 remaining in the third quarter. The Crimson Tide cut it to a 24-17 game courtesy of a Rico Scott receiving touchdown early in the fourth, but a rushing touchdown by FSU back Gavin Sawchuck all but wrapped up the win for the ‘Noles.

“I don’t think Alabama needs to do anything spectacular other than just get out of there,” Finebaum said on Monday’s edition of ‘McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning’. “Whatever the game looks like, it will be over-analyzed – a big win or a field goal at the end. But I do feel very confident Alabama’s going to win, and this game will be forgotten quickly.”

Along with that take, Finebaum has spent the summer bashing the three head coaches that Flair mentioned. He has especially been hard on USC head coach Lincoln Riley, going as far to say that he doesn’t even think he is a good coach anymore.

“Lincoln was my favorite president, but he’s also my favorite punching bag in college football,” Finebaum said back in July. “That is Lincoln Riley, not Abraham Lincoln. I don’t understand the love affair with him out in LA. Had I been the athletic director, he would have already been gone. Of course, I don’t have $80 million to pay his buyout. At some point, Southern Cal is gonna have to come to grips with the fact that he’s not an elite coach… I’m not even sure Lincoln Riley is a good coach anymore. He once was but that day has now passed.”

It has been a rough stretch of takes for Finebaum, and Flair will surely keep calling him out for each and every one of them it seems.