Paul Finebaum says Texas A&M loss was ‘major shot to the SEC’
By David Wasson
Published:
The first round of the 2025-26 College Football Playoff produced a pair of mild upsets, with No. 9 seed Alabama storming back from a 17-point deficit to down No. 8 seed Oklahoma 34-24, and then No. 10 seed Miami holding off No. 7 seed Texas A&M 10-3.
In evaluating those games, along with the blowouts earned by Ole Miss (41-10 against Tulane) and Oregon (51-35 against James Madison), ESPN college football pundit Paul Finebaum said the biggest shocker of the CFP’s opening weekend came with the Hurricanes winning in College Station.
“Ultimately, that was a monster win for the ACC as well. That league has taken so many shots, most of them self-inflicted,” Finebaum said Sunday on The Matt Barrie Show. “And if I can say so, down here in the sweet home Alabama, it was a major shot to the SEC as well.
“Because the SEC was going to lose somebody in the Alabama-Oklahoma game. But that was the game they had to win. And it’s going to hurt all around.”
Finebaum pointed out that the Aggies’ struggles down the stretch – including the need for a gigantic second-half rally to squeak past South Carolina and a regular season-ending loss to Texas, will leave a mark.
“You hate to just say ‘OK, A&M losing its last two games, what can to do?’ But that season won’t be remembered very well the way it ended,” Finebaum added.
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. He also hosts Gulfshore Sports with David Wasson, weekdays from 3-5 pm across Southwest Florida and on FoxSportsFM.com. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
