Paul Finebaum took some time on WJOX on Monday morning to recap SEC Media Days, and he centered on the general feel that Ty Simpson is evidently closing ground in the Alabama quarterback race.

“I found that to be a very positive thing for Alabama, because I was somewhat non-plussed with what I’ve seen from Jalen Milroe and completely unsold on (Tyler) Buchner. I started feeling a little bit better,” Finebaum said. “Being around Coach (Nick) Saban on Wednesday. You can read too much into him, or not read enough. But what I read was a quiet confidence, especially with his unwavering praise of Tommy Rees. Now, this is all verbiage, this is all rhetoric, what does it mean? It just meant, to me, that Alabama deserved to be the pick to win the West, and quite frankly, I think the Tide is in for a very good year.”

As for LSU, Finebaum had no problem with the Tigers being picked second in the West, and he wonders if they have enough, especially since the Alabama game is in Tuscaloosa.

Finebaum was then asked about Vanderbilt receiving 8 first-place votes, and almost every other team in the league receiving at least one. Finebaum said it bothers him.

“I appreciate what Media Days is,” he said. “But when I see that, Cole, I really begin to wonder about people’s right to vote, and I know that sounds crazy because I’ve always been a big believer in democracy. But democracy has nothing to do with being qualified to vote for the SEC. … If you vote for Vanderbilt to win the SEC, you don’t deserve to be credentialed, because that proves that you’re just making a mockery out of something that we take seriously.”