Paul Finebaum said he believes America is not clamoring for Utah in the CFP
Of all the team vying for the fourth spot in the College Football Playoff, Utah has the least amount of name recognition among casual sports fans. The Utes are considerably down the list, from a national perspective in terms of brand, of teams like Georgia and Oklahoma.
That may be the leading reason for ESPN analyst Paul Finebaum to take such a strong stance against the Utes during a segment on ESPN’s “Get Up” on Wednesday. Finebaum declared that Oklahoma would get the fourth spot if LSU beat Georgia, Oklahoma beat Baylor and Utah beat Oregon this week.
“Let’s be honest,” Finebaum said. “The country does not want to see Utah in the College Football Playoff. I’m sorry, it’s Utah.”
Fellow analyst David Pollack responded with news for Finebaum that Oklahoma wouldn’t be any better.
“They may not be any better, but they’re going to look a lot better,” Finebaum said.
Pollack, meanwhile, believes whoever gets in at No. 4 is in for a beat down.
“Congratulations, you made the Playoff, you will have no impact on the playoffs,” Pollack said.
“Let’s be honest, the country does not want to see Utah in the College Football Playoff.”@finebaum sparing no feelings this morning 😬 pic.twitter.com/rz1tEzBtek
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) December 4, 2019
Finebaum’s opinion was met with spirited responses on social media:
For sure. I’d expect there will be rioting in the streets. Full-on looting. https://t.co/W0NfdZtmTf
— Stewart Mandel (@slmandel) December 4, 2019
Could not disagree more with Paul on this point. If the committee feels this way, just blow up the whole system. No one really has a chance. Football people know how good Utah is this year. https://t.co/TZ15jRVnVv
— Adam Rittenberg (@ESPNRittenberg) December 4, 2019
Congrats to Utah on their 45pt win Friday over Oregon. https://t.co/VAts5aF0ja
— Josh Pate (@LateKickJosh) December 4, 2019