Paul Finebaum crushes Clemson for LSU loss, gives ‘advice’ to Dabo Swinney
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Paul Finebaum never holds back, and the longtime ESPN college football analyst was in midseason form in his assessment of Clemson‘s performance on Saturday night in Death Valley.
This wasn’t Clemson’s Death Valley, it was LSU‘s, and it was LSU’s night from the beginning in a 51-10 pounding of Clemson and suddenly embattled head coach Dabo Swinney. The weather delay that pushed the kickoff time back a few hours merely delayed Lane Kiffin‘s memorable debut as LSU head coach, as the SEC‘s Tigers took apart the ACC‘s Tigers in dominant fashion.
Finebaum saw it all, and he had some harsh criticism for Clemson and some advice for Swinney during an appearance on The Matt Barrie Show on Sunday morning.
“It is over for Dabo Swinney. It’s time for him to take a good, long look at himself, quit the protestations every Tuesday when he shows up with the media, quit trying to remind people of what you once were. He is no more. The game has passed him by,” Finebaum said. “That doesn’t mean he can’t go someplace else and refresh. Comparing Dabo Swinney to Lane Kiffin (on Saturday) was frightening.”
Those were strong words, but it didn’t stop there for Finebaum.
“It was almost tragic to look at … how badly Lane Kiffin outcoached, outmaneuvered and completely overwhelmed a guy who 6 years ago was facing the same team in the national championship game,” Finebaum said. “When I say it’s over, I do not mean that Clemson should fire him, that’s not what I’m talking about. Clemson administrators should talk to Dabo Swinney and say, ‘This is the best you can come up with?'”
Clemson is already behind the 8-ball when it comes to qualifying for the College Football Playoff, while LSU is in great shape after 1 game. Here is what the Kalshi market is currently saying about the top teams in the mix to be in the 12-team field come December:
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
