Paul Finebaum Rips 'Stupid People' In College Football Media

ESPN college football analyst Paul Finebaum is sounding off on the state of the game.

With the College Football Playoff potentially expanding from 12 teams to 24 teams, there's a lot of talk about how much one should value a postseason appearance. Making the College Football Playoff when it was only four teams is surely more impressive than making it when there are 12 teams. And making it when there were 12 teams is surely going to be more impressive than making it at 24 teams.

However, going from 12 to 24 teams could be seen as a benefit to college football coaches. They'll be more likely to have College Football Playoff appearances on their resume and when it comes to their contract bonuses.

Finebaum, though, is blaming the media.

The college football analyst is sounding off on the state of the game

Finebaum said that there are a lot of "stupid" people covering the sport.

"We've got a lot of stupid people covering college football," Finebaum said on his eponymous show. "If you make the playoffs, they're going to prop you up more. You heard it last year with ‘Tennessee, made it, Alabama made it.' It doesn't matter what happened after they made it. I think it does matter. I think that should be the minimum. You think Kirby Smart in a 24-team playoff is going to be happy if they lose in the first game? Of course not. And neither are the Georgia fans."

Finebaum isn't wrong, but no matter what anyone says, the College Football Playoff expanding from 12 teams to 24 teams seems like a foregone conclusion at this point, like it or not.

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This story was originally published May 31, 2026 at 5:00 PM.