Paul Finebaum tipping his cap to the Big 12 isn’t something you see often, but that’s exactly what happened on Wednesday when the longtime SEC mouthpiece actually showed some respect for Brett Yormark and how he handled the latest College Football Playoff drama involving Notre Dame.
It started when Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua threw a fit over the Irish being left out of the expanded playoff field. He wasn’t subtle either. Bevacqua basically said the system was rigged, Notre Dame was robbed, and the ACC should pay for it. That didn’t sit well with Yormark, who came out swinging. He called Bevacqua’s response “egregious” and said it was “totally out of bounds,” which is about as direct as it gets for a sitting Power Four commissioner.
Then came Finebaum. On ESPN, he actually praised Yormark for stepping up and speaking out. “You just have to think about what he said. That’s so unprecedented for one of these people that sits at the Big Boy table, and Yormark is at that table,” Finebaum said. “He’s one of the Power Four commissioners. That is just incredible, because that never happens. This is part of the problem with college football: they never do what he did. That is a seminal moment right there.”
To be clear, Finebaum hasn’t exactly been known for giving Big 12 leadership much credit over the years. So when he goes out of his way to recognize a move like this, you can tell it hit a nerve. Yormark didn’t just defend his turf; he made it clear that the Big 12 isn’t going to let legacy brands throw tantrums and expect the rest of the sport to nod along.
The truth is, the Big 12 has taken more than its share of hits over the last decade. Realignment, playoff politics, TV deals, you name it. But under Yormark, there’s a new tone, and now even guys like Finebaum are taking notice. That doesn’t mean he’s suddenly Team Big 12, but when the loudest SEC loyalist is giving you credit, it means something.
College football needs more straight talk and less PR fluff. Yormark gave it to them, and Finebaum, of all people, actually respected it.
