ESPN’s Paul Finebaum joined fellow SEC Network personalities Greg McElroy and Cole Cubelic on their radio show “McElroy and Cubelic In The Morning” to discuss expectations for a handful of SEC programs in 2023.

Finebaum explained that 8 wins could earn Hugh Freeze Coach of the Year Honors in the SEC, while 7 wins should be considered a good season for Auburn. He went on to say that the 50/50 games in the SEC are so difficult to predict that it is hard to really get an idea for how a team’s season should go, especially the Tigers’. Finebaum cited Vanderbilt’s back-t0-back wins over Kentucky and Florida last season as examples of unpredictable results in conference play.

Another major point that Finebaum made on the show was people being stuck on the narratives that linger from last season. LSU and South Carolina both had strong 2022 campaigns, but Finebaum explains that their respective performances from last season should not influence the outlook for this season as much as it does. In the end, Finebaum admits that nobody is able to help themselves when it comes to referencing the previous season.