Paul Finebaum. © Shanna Lockwood-Imagn Images

Paul Finebaum Names Program That Had 'No Business' Being in the College Football Playoff

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jaron Spor | Last updated Jun 4, 2025 10:00 AM ET

The 2024 College Football Playoff marked the first year of the 12-team model, following a decade of a four-team tournament that began in 2014. However, the expansion to more teams hasn’t eliminated criticism.

Several prominent national commentators voiced their concerns about some of the teams selected for the playoffs. Despite the season concluding nearly six months ago, one such pundit, SEC Network's Paul Finebaum, is still expressing his dissatisfaction with one particular team that made the field.

During his show, "The Paul Finebaum Show," he remarked that there was one team that had "no business" being included in the College Football Playoff last season.

"Last year, SMU got a third-place ribbon," Finebaum said. "They had no business being in the CFP."

SMU had an impressive season last year, finishing with an 11-3 record in its first year in the American Athletic Conference (AAC). Despite this strong performance, the Mustangs stumbled in the ACC Championship Game, losing to the Clemson Tigers (10-4) on a last-second field goal, 34-31. In that game, they were down 31-14 before making a comeback to tie the score.

However, their playoff game against the Penn State Nittany Lions (13-3) was a disappointment; the Mustangs lost 38-10 and appeared outmatched. Finebaum commented after the game that SMU's performance was disheartening and it seemed fraudulent on the field.

While SMU managed to defeat three teams that each won nine games last season, they lost to the three strongest opponents on their schedule, including a narrow loss to the BYU Cougars (11-2) earlier in the year, as well as defeats against Clemson and Penn State.

This season, the Mustangs are eager to prove that last year was no fluke and aim to return to the College Football Playoff. Their journey begins against East Texas A&M on Aug. 30 at 9:00 p.m. ET.

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

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