Cream of the crop? Paul Finebaum makes his pick between Trevor Lawrence and Tua Tagovailoa
This debate will likely rage on all season, especially if they meet again in the College Football Playoff. But who is the best quarterback in college football?
ESPN college football analyst Paul Finebaum weighed in with his opinion on ESPN’s First Take. It comes down to Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence and Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa.
“If you’re trying to determine who the best one is, I don’t think it’s very difficult at all,” Finebaum said. “Trevor Lawrence is one of the best quarterbacks in college I have ever seen. Tua is simply one of the best I have seen in a specific year. I think we got a little bit carried last year by declaring him, some people did, the LeBron James of college football.”
“He’s very good, but he’s injury prone, he’s very accurate, and when he gets hurt, he seems to collapse a little bit. Against the best teams last year, he did not perform very well. Trevor Lawrence, once he got going, remember he was a freshman, he just took over the game and by the end, in the final game of the year, he dominated in a way I have never seen before.”
While Finebaum didn’t dismiss Nick Saban, he admitted that if Dabo Swinney wins another big game in January, he would rule college football. Finebaum said two things Clemson has done to reach the top of the sport is recruit on the level of Alabama, and keep a coaching staff intact.
Comparing the ACC and SEC, Finebaum said Alabama will be “beaten up and bloodied,” by the end of the season while Clemson will look like, “they didn’t have to wash their uniform.”
Finebaum admitted that Georgia is on a similar level as Alabama and Clemson, and has had a double-digit lead on Alabama the previous two seasons. The Bulldogs could easily be in the mix at the end of the season, he said.
I think it would be a lot more interesting if Trevor and Tua had to go through the same regular season grind.
I agree K Snart. Although Lawrence is a very good qb it is very easy to look very good playing an acc schedule. Will someone name me another good team in the acc other than Clemson? Miami is probably the closest and they are probably on par with Miss St or Tex A&M in the SEC ( mid pack). If Clemson played Georgia, LSU, Florida, Miss St, Tex A&M and they would be lucky to go 2-3 in those games. Remember Clemson almost lost to Tx A&M and Syracuse last year. Good QB in a cheese cake conference.
The bottom line is Clemson was a better team last year. I believe that “iron sharpens iron”, and thus believe that the argument “Clemson was better bc they play in a weak conference” is simply incorrect.
Also, Clemson would demolish the likes of Florida and Miss St. They have already proven they can beat A&M, (That’s 3 wins right there) and I believe that they would beat LSU in a similar kind of game. Sooo… that point falls flat too.
TAMU is better than Miami.
If Alabama fails to win it all again this year it’s going to get interesting. Especially if Swinney wins it again.
If Saban sees clear indications that he’s no longer on top how will that effect his retirement time line?
Call him and ask him…
Really you should call PAWWWLLLL. He seems to know everything
Tua isn’t great when he is banged up, but he was pretty special when completely healthy. Even counting his banged up games, Tua finished with better stats while playing a tougher schedule. We can’t forget about that and just focus on the one game.
They both also really only have one season of play. To say Tua is the best in a specific year and Lawrence the best ever doesn’t make sense…
That’s a solid point BT.
I wonder if Tua would be applauded as much if he played for another team in the SEC that didn’t have every player on the first team being a 5 star recruit. It certainly made Jalen Hurts look like a Heisman candidate with the protection and wide receivers he had. They’re both great players but at the end of the day, both of their teams are great teams and I don’t think the OLine gets enough credit for Tua’s success.
Tua is injury prone for sure. I think Lawrence will have a better career overall as well. To the people saying ”Lawrence doesn’t play the SEC schedule..” well that’s correct but Tua had a field day against every team he played against except UGA so it’s not like the SEC was much of a challenge to him.
Ok, but having a field day against the SEC is more impressive than having a field day against the ACC, and Tua’s regular season stats were miles above Trevor’s.
Well Trevor had a pretty good field day against the sec team he played against while Tua had a good game and an okay game against the two acc teams he faced.
Also I wouldn’t say miles above..
Tua started all 15 games and had 3966 yards passing with 43 tds and 6 ints
Lawrence started 11 games and had 3280 yards with 30 tds and 4 ints.
Plus Lawrence is 1-0 vs Tua
Tua didn’t even get to finish the 3rd quarter against Louisville with a QBR of 99.2…. If that’s a “good” game I’ll take it..
Also you point out the number of games started but it doesn’t really matter… Lawrence had 40 more pass attempts than Tua… Tua didn’t play a snap in the 4th for 3/4 of the games….
Yeah he played good that game and just okay against Clemson.
And I understand that. Which proves my point.. if the sec was so strong then Tua would’ve played in the 4th quarter more
So because Tua played well during the season and didn’t play much in the 4th it wasn’t because he and Bama were good… It’s because the SEC was bad…
Got it.
Well it wasn’t because they were good.. I never said Tua or Bama weren’t good.
All saying is that it is a dumb argument to say “put Lawrence in the sec and see what he does”. He torched the best team in the sec. What do you think he would’ve done to the rest of the league?
I don’t know but I believe the competition in the SEC is tougher than the ACC which means he may not have avoided injury either. Hypotheticals don’t mean much but to put the SEC down because Bama had a good run lacks substance as well..
I understand it’s hard for a Auburn fan to give Bama credit though.
If he SEC was as good as you think it is then Bama wouldn’t have beaten everyone by 21 or more.. also when did I put bama down?
Also what isn’t hypothetical is the championship game.
Who said Bama beating UGA was hypothetical? LSU beating UGA wasn’t hypothetical either and Bama beat them 29-0….
Your “what would he had done to the rest of the league” is nothing but “hypothetical”…
As far as putting Bama down you’re literally discrediting their season and Tua by blaming on the SEC wasn’t good…
So let me ask you. was the ACC better than the SEC last season? Just curious since Tua’s stats are due to a bad SEC…
National championship game not sec championship game..
I’m not discrediting bama or tua. That’s whats you want to think. If anything it shows how good they were by beating everyone by 21+.. they just ran into a better team.
As far as sec and acc, I think top to bottom the sec is better but Clemson is the best team out of both imo.
Also never said the sec was bad.. just said they weren’t as good as you think they are
“Which proves my point.. if the sec was so strong then Tua would’ve played in the 4th quarter more”
That statement alone proves my point. Clemson and Alabama don’t play each other. You want to say the SEC is bad because Tua didn’t play in the 4th but the SEC is better than the ACC.
So you don’t see your failed logic?
What I mean is Clemson don’t play Clemson or Bama play Bama in conference play…
“I’m not discrediting bama or tua. That’s whats you want to think. If anything it shows how good they were by beating everyone by 21+.. they just ran into a better team.”
“If he SEC was as good as you think it is then Bama wouldn’t have beaten everyone by 21 or more.. also when did I put bama down”
Both of those are your comments… I give up with you. Not worth my time.
You are really good at putting words in my mouth. Find one sentence where I said the SEC was bad… I’ll wait.
I said the SEC wasn’t as strong as you think and if they were then Tua would have played more in the 4th.
Bama beat everyone in the regular season by 21+.. that shows how good they were. It also showed how the sec wasn’t strong. If they were strong as you think, Bama wouldn’t have beat everyone by that much.
Do you understand now?
I might be wrong, but I’m pretty sure the SEC had 8 teams ranked in the top 25 at season’s end, and the ACC had 2.
Also, I think a 13 TD and 700 yard difference along with an 11.2 average vs. 8.3 YPA is indeed miles above.
SEC had 6 in AP and ACC had 2 but I have already said the SEC was better.
YPA is play calling IMO so I don’t count that. The other stats, yes Tua was better, but I am taking into account the starts. So Tua played 3/4 of the game and Lawrence only started 11 games and basically playing mop up duty in the others. That 700 yards and 13 TDs is only worth about 2 and half more games from Lawerence which he would have easily made up if he had started imo
Lawrence had 40 more attempts… What does the amount of games matter if he attempted 40 more passes?
You’re putting down Tua’s stats because the SEC wasn’t good but making excuses for Lawrence even though the ACC was worse than the SEC… Do you sell cars?
So 40 more attempts but 700 less yards and 13 less TDS with a weaker schedule…
“That 700 yards and 13 TDs is only worth about 2 and half more games from Lawerence which he would have easily made up if he had started imo”
So since we’re going hypothetical again… Imagine how big the gap would have been if Tua played the entire game against the weak SEC…
Just because you attempt more passes doesn’t mean you throw more yards.. there were 51 D-1 QBs that threw more than Tua but only 3 threw for more yards. (Haskins, Minshew and Murray).
Again, never said the SEC wasn’t good but you hold on to that.. I also didn’t put down Tua’s stats. What excuses did I make for Lawrence? He played less than Tua, so imo he would’ve had better stats had he started 15 games like Tua.
And no, I don’t sell cars.
So the amount of attempts isn’t import to you either? I mean if he attempted over a 100 passes more than Tua he may have matched Tua’s output….
“Just because you attempt more passes doesn’t mean you throw more yards.. there were 51 D-1 QBs that threw more than Tua but only 3 threw for more yards. (Haskins, Minshew and Murray).”
IMO that shows just how good Tua was. Being able to match or out do others with less attempts…
“Again, never said the SEC wasn’t good but you hold on to that”
Yes you did… Scroll up. Your reply to me when I said it’s because the SEC was bad is below.
“Well it wasn’t because they were good.”
@BamaTime Tua is an excellent college player. At the end of the day, people are just impressed with Trevor Lawrence because he walked into Clemson as a true Freshman and dog walked Bama in the national championship. Who knows, the kid may just have had a good year and chokes this year. You have to admit. For a true freshman to win an NC the way he did, it’s impressive.
I didn’t say Lawrence was bad. I’m just pointing out how the two are being compared.
The YPA and amount of passes doesn’t matter to me much because screens and touch/shovel passes count.. You could throw 40 screens a game but only have 100 yards and the YPA would be less than 1.
And exactly. I basically said that earlier.. “If anything it shows how good they were by beating everyone by 21+..”
I’m sorry I didn’t put “as good as you think they are” like I did with all the others.
Screens and shovel passes count for Lawrence too… Or did he not ever throw one of those?
“And exactly. I basically said that earlier.. “If anything it shows how good they were by beating everyone by 21+..”
I’m sorry I didn’t put “as good as you think they are” like I did with all the others.”
Sell those cars…
I would think Tua threw a few screens and shovel passes as well…
Tua threw for far more yards and TD’s with less attempts. Tua had a way higher passer rating and a higher completion percentage. He did all of this while playing against better defenses. Lawrence played great in this NC game, and that is the lasting memory for a lot of people. It’s simplistic. For anyone to act like one is definitely better than the other is just silly. It’s almost like comparing Manning and Brady in their primes. Lawrence was better in that one game. Tua was better prior to that. The numbers bear that out.
I’m sure Lawerence did. I’m not saying he didn’t and I’m not saying Tua didn’t. But to me, YPA can be misleading because of those plays.
I can’t help if you interpret something different than what I type out.
Well remove any stat you like…. Tua still has 700 more yards on 40 less pass attempts with 13 more TDs with a tougher SOS…
I should have stopped wasting my time with this when I said it earlier as I know how conversations go with you…
You have your opinion I have mine and the stats… I’m out.
I’m not removing any stat. I just don’t think it’s good indicator.
You can forget the fact he played less than Tua too.. that’s fine.
I didn’t ask you to engage in conversation but I appreciate the back the back in forth. I have my opinion and you have yours. That’s all it is but continue to try to change my opinion. That what you always do. Bye BT.
Your argument fell apart very quickly.
How so?
You said that 13 TDs and 700 yards would be “two and a half games” for Trevor. You strongly insinuated that the SEC isn’t that good, despite the obvious evidence in final season rankings and the NFL Draft indicating otherwise, and you acted like Tua’s lack of playing in the 4th somehow wasn’t equal to Trevor’s 3-4 games that he didn’t fully play in.
The dumbest statement was “YPA is playcalling IMO”. What does that even mean? A higher YPA means you’re completing longer passes, and hence more difficult ones, not just dumping the ball off every play. A higher YPA is more impressive.
Clemson’s regular season SOS was 18th. Alabama’s was 5th. For God’s sake, Clemson played a 7-5 Pitt for their conference championship.
Lawrence didn’t play much in the 4th either for starters.. he played less than Tua Tortola but threw more passes.
I don’t think the sec is strong as others might think, like BT and you. Beating teams by 21+ doesn’t suggest that either. It’s the best and strongest league but I don’t think it’s as strong as some people might suggest.
The YPA is all playcalling imo.. a higher YPA means the OC dialed up more longer routes than shorter routes. I didn’t say it wasn’t impressive.. I just said it wasn’t a good indicator IMO. You don’t have to agree.
What do the SOS have to do with anything? I never mentioned anything about those.
Total not Tortola
Strength of schedule is a definitive stat showing who played tougher games and is usually directly related to the strength of ones conference since that makes up 3/4 of the schedule.
As for the other points, repeating your illogical claims don’t verify them unless you can come up with some hard facts to back them up. You haven’t done that yet.
I know what SOS is but what does that have to do with anything?
As far as my other points.. they are opinions. Opinions are not fact based. Why is that so hard to get? You and BT are so set on being right but it is MY opinion. You don’t have to agree with it and you can think it is dumb but guess what? It is still my opinion.
I left you to your opinion… You’re still going and throwing my name around… Remember, Your opinion is only Important to you so no need to bring me back up.
Your foolish “opinion” is between you and KS now..
Are your feelings hurt, BT?
I’m trying to figure out why you’re still crying? You say it’s just your opinion which is exactly what I said before I stopped posting yet you’re here talking about me being so set on being right…
You’re the one still trying to be “right”. Not me… I get it. It’s your opinion. I honestly don’t care about your opinion so I moved on… Are you not able too?
You came to me.. I was just responding to KS. You have said you are done twice now and that you have moved on but you are still here.
I can back because you named me… You said you didn’t say the SEC was bad but you did and I showed you…
You then say I’m so set on being right but it’s your opinion after I have already said you have your opinion and left the conversation… So another false statement…
Don’t make up $hit and I won’t be back. Tell another lie and I’ll come back and call you on it… Pretty simple.
BT, the big bad internet police here to protect and serve. Thank you for your service ma’am.
How can an opinion be a lie? It isn’t fact based.
Sorry let me correct myself before you try to sell cars again… You didn’t say bad.. You said not good..
Saying I am so set on being right was a lie. I had already dropped it an left. You were still kicking the can…
Saying you didn’t say the SEC wasn’t good wasn’t true either…
Pretty dumb “opinion” to have if you’re going to ignore raw statistics that say otherwise.
What raw statistics did I ignore?
Strength of schedule, passing yards, TDs, and YPA, all of which go into factoring the skill level and performance of a collegiate quarterback.
It’s kinda weird that you think I ignored those when I brought them up first.. I have my reasons for YPA. You don’t have to agree with it
What’s weird is you acting like the statistics help your argument and claiming that 700 yards and 13 TDs would be about two and a half games’ work for Trevor.
1. It’s an opinion. There is no right or wrong answer
2. Lawrence averaged 298 yards and 2 tds as starter. If he started two and half more games that would have been 745 more yards and 5 more TD’s. If you add that up it would have been more yards and like 5 tds less. Pretty much even imo.
How you view the facts through the opinion doesn’t change them, and the fact is that if you’re going by Lawrence’s average TDs per game, then he’s really five games behind Tua in TDs and 2.5 in yards, playing an easier schedule, and having to throw more to accumulate those yards because his average pass did not cover as many yards.
“That 700 yards and 13 TDs is only worth about 2 and half more games from Lawerence which he would have easily made up if he had started imo“
IMO means in my opinion.
It’s an opinion. Not fact. It’s amazing that you don’t know the difference and think an opinion can be right or wrong.
I see you’re still trying to be right…
I see you are still here after saying you were out.. but deep down I knew you would be back.
But yes, I am trying to educate KS on the definition of opinions. Apparently you both dropped out before middle school.
Well if you keep saying it over and over you may eventually be right… Oh NM you can’t be right…
Keep trying though..
I see you are still confused..
You can be right when there are facts or a right or wrong answer.
Opinions don’t have right or wrong answers or solutions.
We’ll keep working on it though.
Patient Jane doe is diagnosed with terminal cancer and doctor wde0012 says she’s got 3 months to live. When she goes to see dr Bamatime for an “educated guess,” what is it called? A second opinion, Dr. bamatime says she’s got 6 months to live. The patient lives another 20 years, does that mean both doctors were neither right or wrong?
Opinions can’t be right or wrong so the doctors aren’t right or wrong. You can only agree or disagree with opinions. If that is the way people view something, it is their opinion. Educated guesses to me means there is a right or wrong answer and an end solution.
I’ve been over that already.. I said I apologized for not putting “as good as you think they are”.
Answer this.. how can I say the sec is bad (your thinking) when I have said the sec is best conference? Doesn’t add up.
And yet here you are still trying to be right when it is opinion based.
You’re slow aren’t you? I pointed out you said the SEC wasn’t good when you said you didn’t. That’s not an opinion that happened.
I’m not arguing if the SEC is good or bad. You’re the one that is trying to bring that back up again… I just pointed out your false statements. So you’re still making up $hit… Nobody is trying to be right about who is better anymore but you…
You are saying that I said the SEC wasn’t good.. which is kinda true. I acknowledged that.
I am saying I did say that but apologized for not putting the rest “good as you think they are”
I’m not arguing anything. You came back to me like a 3rd grader crying because your name got brought up. I didn’t say anything bad about you or mom.
Mom jokes now? You made another false statement. I made sure I pointed it out. I am not trying to change your opinion if moved on yet you’re still saying I’m trying to be right…. Sorry but that’s just you trying to be right .
What? Can you read? I didn’t say a mom joke. I literally said “I didn’t say anything bad about you or mom”.
You say you have moved on yet you are still here.
So why are you still here? To prove that you are right? To just talk?
BT…the troll is deep in you but hey, at least you’re always right in opinion space. Let it go peckergnat
The conversation has nothing to do with a UGA fan.. It’s even on a Bama article…
Go find you a UGA fan to
Jerk off…
Why is a Bama fan posting on a Bama article?
Why are you here? The article has nothing to do with Auburn..
That’s all you got?
It’s a public site. I can post anywhere I want. Thanks for your concern though.
Isn’t that fresh. Only allowed to comment on your team’s articles. Let me know how that works out for you pg
UGA troll 16792 look up the definition of trolling. Remeber you just interjected into something that has nothing to do with you or UGA just to get a rise..
Wde.. You asked why am I here. It’s an article about Bama. Wouldn’t it be more likely a Bama fan would post on a Bama article than a Auburn fan?
You came back because I mentioned your name and got butthurt. Your intentions weren’t to talk about Alabama.. they were to defend yourself.
My intentions were to point out your false statement. I actually said that already and pointed it out.
Opinions can’t be false.
You came back after you said “I’m out” and replied with:
“I left you to your opinion… You’re still going and throwing my name around… Remember, Your opinion is only Important to you so no need to bring me back up.
Your foolish “opinion” is between you and KS now..”
Your intentions were to be right. You can’t be right BT. They are opinions..
Looked up definition of troll and peckergnat and was directed to “see BT”
Of course, this is only an opinion so it could be wrong…
I came back after “You and BT are so set on being right but it is MY opinion”…
I already said you have your opinion and I have mine yet you’re still talking about me trying to be right.. Think about it. You’re the one still kicking this can down the road.
You saying I’m set on being right wasn’t an opinion. It’s something you’re trying to pass of as a fact. I had already left and conceded you had your “opinion”.
Like is said already “You and BT are so set on being right but it is MY opinion” is in fact wrong….
Wde0012… Can opinions be wrong?
When you’re dead you don’t know you’re dead, the pain is only felt by others…same thing appies when you’re stupid.
#Let it go dot now pg…
“Like is said already “You and BT are so set on being right but it is MY opinion” is in fact wrong….”
What’s the opposite of wrong, BT? I believe the word is right. You are trying to be right.
No opinions can’t be right or wrong
That sucks.. Hitlers opinion was that all Jews needed to die. It’s a shame that can’t be wrong. I’ve seen people state the world was flat and the moon landing never happened i their opinion..
So let me point something else out… If I’m posting my opinion using stats to support and you follow up posting your opinion using what stats you consider important wouldn’t you also be trying to be right?
To go a little deeper on that… If I stopped posting my opinion on the topics and you continued posting your opinion on said topic wouldn’t you still be the one trying to be right?
It was hitlers opinion not yours. People choose to agree or disagree with opinions. You can’t prove an opinion to be right or wrong. It’s impossible.
Stats support facts not opinions. Opinions are a belief of something.
No, I would just be voicing my opinion.
So me voicing my opinion… So me voicing my opinion is me trying to be right but not you trying to be right for doing the same?
As far as hitler.. Killing all the Jews can’t be wrong? Wow…
In my opinion you’re still here because you’re trying to be right…
It is not your opinion that I’m still here.. that is a fact. There is a difference.
It was hitlers opinion. We can disagree with it. Obviously it was wrong in our eyes but in HIS eyes it wasn’t.
You can voice your opinion. No one is saying you can’t. But don’t tell me my opinion was wrong when it is my opinion.
You selling cars again? I said it’s my opinion you’re here trying to be right..
You told me my opinion was wrong.
I said you were putting Bama and Tua down. That’s my opinion you said it was wrong…
In my opinion you’re an idiot…
As much as you talk about cars I’m starting to think you’re either looking to buy one or trying to sell one.
You can have all the opinions you want. Doesn’t mean I have to agree but it certainly doesn’t mean they are right or wrong.
Ok, I have to agree with BT. Hypothetical scenario, say two technicians are called to an electrical problem on machine x. Machine X has lost power to function A. Technician 1 says in “in my opinion there is a thrown breaker.” Technician 2 says “in my opinion the drive is faulted.” After troubleshooting they find out it was a bad card. Since they both had opinions does that make them both right?
That’s where you are wrong ArkyVol.
Your scenario has a definite answer or solution. Those technicians are making an educated guess. Those are different than opinions. Opinions are not supported by facts, just beliefs. If I say “I think Auburn has the best fans” that is opinion. You can either agree or disagree. Doesn’t mean it is right or wrong. Your scenario has a right or wrong answer to it or a solution.
Is an educated guess not an opinion? An opinion is a view or a judgement about something? Educated guess would most definitely fall as a judgment. The statement or opinion form can vary from one extreme to the other. It could be “I think that girl is cute.” Or “I think god does exist.” Whether is subjective or objective an opinion is an opinion and in fact it can be right or wrong, it doesn’t have to be wrong with the voicer of the opinion, but it most certainly can be wrong.
Patient Jane doe is diagnosed with terminal cancer and doctor wde0012 says she’s got 3 months to live. When she goes to see dr Bamatime for an “educated guess,” what is it called? A second opinion, Dr. bamatime says she’s got 6 months to live. The patient lives another 20 years, does that mean both doctors were neither right or wrong?
An opinion may be supported by facts and principles, in which case it becomes an argument.
Different people may draw opposing conclusions (opinions) even if they agree on the same set of facts. Opinions rarely change without new arguments being presented. It can be reasoned that one opinion is better supported by the facts than another, by analyzing the supporting arguments.
In casual use, the term opinion may be the result of a person’s perspective, understanding, particular feelings, beliefs, and desires. The term may also refer to unsubstantiated information, in contrast to knowledge and fact.
Though not hard fact, collective opinions or professional opinions are defined as meeting a higher standard to substantiate the opinion.
So In short ArkansanBluetick…wiki clarifies that at the time both doctors gave their professional opinions neither was right or wrong. Hope that helps…
Opinions can’t be right or wrong so the doctors aren’t right or wrong. You can only agree or disagree with opinions. If that is the way people view something, it is their opinion. Educated guesses to me means there is a right or wrong answer and an end solution.
Care to speculate why one of the antonyms for opinion is fact? I hear you can’t speculate wrongly
Finebaum is over the hill….
I just wish Trevor’s two brothers would take him back out on tour.