Paul Finebaum. © Shanna Lockwood-Imagn Images

Paul Finebaum Names Historic College Football Program That Has 'Fallen Off'

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jaron Spor | Last updated Mar 12, 2025 9:00 PM ET

The 2025 college football season presents several programs with the opportunity to bounce back and prove their doubters wrong.

This is particularly true for the Alabama Crimson Tide, who experienced their worst season since 2007. Last year marked the first season without Nick Saban on the sidelines since 2006, as he announced his retirement following the 2023 season. In that year, Alabama won the SEC championship and played in the College Football Playoff but lost in overtime to the eventual champion, the Michigan Wolverines.

Last season was Kalen DeBoer's first year as head coach. While he had some significant victories, including wins over Georgia, LSU, Missouri and South Carolina, the Crimson Tide also faced disappointing moments, losing three games to teams with five or more losses.

One of DeBoer's critics is ESPN's Paul Finebaum. On "The Paul Finebaum Show," he was asked about the SEC's downward trend, especially considering that the Big Ten has won the last two national championships. Finebaum attributed part of this decline to the downturn in Alabama's performance.

"The SEC is not done, the SEC has just had a couple of setbacks," Finebaum said. "A couple of reasons for that, Georgia, the last two years, have not been as good as Georgia has been. Alabama has fallen off."

Finebaum has been quite critical of DeBoer throughout the season and during the offseason. He mentioned that the upcoming year is "playoff or bust" for DeBoer. Recently, he stated that if the Crimson Tide does not make the playoffs, DeBoer won't have much time left as head coach.

Therefore, 2025 will be a crucial year for DeBoer if he wants to keep his position at Alabama; otherwise, his job security may start to diminish.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: