There is no love lost between Paul Finebaum and the Big 12. During the conference’s opening day of Media Days, the media personality took a shot at the 16-team league once again.
Paul Finebaum Throws Shade at Big 12 Amid Media Days
“I’ll take where the SEC is, adding Oklahoma and Texas,” Finebaum said while on the On Texas Football podcast. “If you spotted me a $1,000, I’m not sure I could tell you the four new schools in the Big 12 right now.”
That comment might lead you to assume the conference added some low-level Group of Five schools. Yet, the four teams joining the fray are former Pac-12 members Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, and Utah.
The Utes are already a favorite to win the conference. The Buffaloes are a media magnet thanks to the likes of head coach Deion Sanders, QB Shedeur Sanders, and two-way star Travis Hunter. The Sun Devils are attempting an overhaul under Kenny Dillingham. And The Wildcats are a title contender with QB Noah Fifita and WR Tetairoa McMillan leading the offense.
Now, are any of those four squads equal to the Texas or Oklahoma? No, but collectively, they diminish the lost value, and Year 2 of BYU, Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF could pay dividends. But fans shouldn’t give Finebaum’s comment too much mind, as it’s nothing new for him.
“You can’t limp into [the SEC],” Finebaum told On3’s George Stoia last year. “You’ll get run over. Nobody needs to take the Big 12 and compare it to the SEC. There’s simply no comparison. OU’s done so well, but everyone talks about going to Iowa State. Well, I can give you 12 places in the SEC that make Iowa State look like a kindergarten class.”
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That wasn’t even Finebaum’s first comment taking a dig at the conference following the realignment talks. When speaking with TexAgs, he said, “I’ve had people tell me, ‘You don’t understand what it’s like to go to Ames, Iowa.’ Well, first of all, I don’t want to go to Ames, Iowa.”
“I can assure you, Saturday night in Ames, Iowa, does not compare to Saturday night in Auburn, Baton Rouge, The Swamp, Knoxville. I mean, you can go 11 deep in the SEC. You think it’s easy to play in South Carolina? I mean, the Big 12 is a good league. It’s good for TCU, but this is a different world. Everyone listening and watching already knows that.”
While Finebaum’s persistent jabs at the Big 12 don’t hold much weight, they do serve as a reminder of the conference’s ongoing struggle for national respect. However, with its new additions and the continued development of its current members, the Big 12 is poised to cement its place as a top-three conference in the nation.
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