Paul Finebaum, from the SEC Network, tells McElroy & Cubelic why this year's Media Days already feels different & better than years' past & why he's surprised at DeBoer's recruiting prowess
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Michael Roy and Kubelik in the morning, starting off with Clark Lee right out of the gate there, Vanderbilt head football coach. We'll now go to... I'm glad you saw him because I would have had to contort my body. I didn't see him. You're like, Clark Lee. I'm like, where is he? And he was already past me at that point. It must be like a ball thing.

That's it. We just know where each other are. That's how Paul just gravitated over here to the show. I thought that was my devil gang. Paul, first impressions of just SEC Media Days Dallas, which has never been done before. We've never had this. No, I mean, on one level, it looks very similar. It does. A lot of hungover.

sleepy-eyed radio guys just looking for the free coffee. That much hasn't changed, much like it was back in the day when I was a sports writer. But other than that, I mean, it has a big feel to it. No disrespect to

anywhere we've ever been before but uh i thought you were gonna do it no i i i my first uh my first apartment in birmingham was in hoover so i'm not about to start on them now i thought you were about to throw some barbs at our city i was about to be kind of sad no i love it i love hoover i was back in hoover a couple weeks ago with a lot of people so um but it the difference is you walk in and you don't see all those alabama fans so

That is definitely different. What are your expectations from the sort of the Oklahoma and Texas media contingency? Not the guys who cover the beat every day, but just the bigger, like Greg said, Dallas sports is going to kind of stop for a few days here, and a lot of it's going to focus in on media days. The ticket, like, you know, the ticket, the 1310 here in Dallas, that's one of the biggest radio stations in the country. I just gave them a resume. Yeah, they have like 10 people that are credentialed and they're going to be here.

No, I met their market manager in Austin two weeks ago. And, yeah, I mean, that was probably the thing I've noticed the most is that –

When you get to a market like this, and for those who don't know, this is one of the greatest sports markets in the country. That is important because the SEC is in Austin now, but it needs to be very prominently in Dallas, Houston, places that really carry a lot of weight in the country. I was telling Cole in the first couple minutes of the show,

media days is kind of rinse and repeat and you can almost in the last seven or eight years kind of count on one hand how many really memorable moments there were uh i can remember one probably responsible for two or three of them you were sitting right next to me i've seen that picture a few times i was but long story short it just feels sometimes like the coaches now are super buttoned up they know we live in a world in which news travels fast and they just don't want to say anything and

And they're very, very guarded. But this year does have some buzz with the additions of Texas and Oklahoma and the amount of new faces that will be here. So of all the media days we've done together, Paul, this would be number 11 that you and I have been together. Where would this one rank for you? I think from an anticipation standpoint, it could be the biggest because,

We have been counting this down forever. And we all were here a couple weeks ago for the celebration. But again, it was fun in Austin and Norman. But it was also July 4th week, and a lot of people were scattered and lost.

This is different. I mean, people waking up this morning going, okay, flip on the SEC network, flip on you guys, flip on, they know the football season has finally arrived. This isn't a holiday week any longer. And so I think it's very high. Texas, Oklahoma is part of it. Nick Saban leaving Alabama is another part of it. The usual suspects that we've talked about,

all year long um but it isn't the start of the football season but it is and i know that sounds contradictory but because we have this pretty long gap after this is over but this is when it starts entering the mind of those who don't swim in it every day people go oh yeah uh

College football. And until now, it has not been on the radar at all. I think every year in the last three or four media days, Paul Feinbaum joining us live. He's with us each and every week thanks to Crane Works. We're curious about what Commissioner Sankey is going to say, wants to say, the points that he wants to hit. This college football landscape, Paul, is ever-changing. Is there anything that you feel like you really want him to address, feel like he needs to address today? Well, I think he'll hit all the hot points because, I mean, he is –

As you guys know better than anyone, he's just not the SEC commissioner. I mean, he's...

He's like the Fed chairman appearing in front of the Senate Banking Committee and what he says is going to move the market. So what he says today is going to be reacted to by Charlie Baker, the NCAA president, and everyone else. So I'm pretty sure we won't hear any surprises. I mean, I would like to hear as a fan, you know, where is the SEC moving in terms of its conference number? But that was seemingly...

addressed briefly in Dustin and it just seems like it's on hold. This may be more of a television decision than a conference decision, but we'll get, we'll get the nine games at some point in time. But, but I think he's, he's really, I think he'll spend a lot of time on Oklahoma and Texas because that's on his mind. And in addition to the laundry list of NCAA issues, which are pretty large. Yeah. You mentioned, uh,

the nine game conference schedule, it would be great to get confirmation that that's coming in 26. So just looking at, looking at the sec schedule versus the big 10 schedule and the amount of quality matchups, I just think there's more that can be had there. And I know, like you said, it's more television than it is really anybody at this point, but looking at kind of where things could go with realignment, there's buzz that is starting to get a little louder about something happening in

with Florida State, with Clemson, prior to the season getting underway. There's a lot of momentum, by all accounts, according to those that are familiar. Do you expect him to comment on anything like that today? No. I don't think he's going to say, no, we're out of the Florida State and Clemson sweepstakes. Yeah, I mean, I think that is one of the trickiest areas. And listen, Greg is...

very smart and he he knows that's out there i'm sure he's got a fairly standard line there that goes back to what you heard from him three years ago um and and i and so i i don't think uh even that even if i asked he's going to go very far or give very much away so in the event in which the sec did decide to expand i'm sure you're probably talking the same people i am

what do you think would be at the top of their priority list as far as expansion is concerned? Well, Greg, you and I know some of the same people. And what they are saying... By the way, I'd like to find somebody new that you could talk to on that. That would be really nice. There really aren't very many people. First of all, the amount of people that...

know that is very small. But it's North Carolina at the top. And I think after that, it's a little bit unknown. There's a million different theories. Would North Carolina take someone with them? Or would they just...

sit around. But the one thing I feel pretty confident of, though, is that if something happens in the next couple of weeks, it won't be Florida State going to the SEC. I mean, it just seems like they have shot themselves in the foot on that. I don't think Clemson is in as bad a shape, but they are now lumped with Florida State.

Paul, we were talking at dinner last night about the teams in the league this year. Georgia, I feel like, is separated a little bit from everybody else. You could take maybe Texas, Alabama, and then people would maybe exchange Missouri, Ole Miss as teams, maybe kind of Tier 2, knocking on the door of Tier 1. But that next group of teams feels like,

There's a logjam of teams that have a pretty big leeway between could be 9-10 win teams or could be 6-7 win teams if one or two things don't go well. Which of those teams interest you the most? Or which of those teams do you think has that chance to be knocking on the door of Tier 1 by the end of the season? I mean, it's literally like watching Turn 4 Talladega. I mean, you've got five cars coming around side-by-side training paint. I did cover NASCAR once, Greg.

Well, the fact that you knew about Turn 4, I... I was going to say, don't we have a Dallas track we could reference? Texas Motor Speedway. There you go. It's over in Denton, pretty close to where I grew up. I think it's probably Tennessee. I really like them. They have the same questions as everybody else, but that is a logjam. And I was on a plane last week, and some guy said, hey, who do you like? And I go, Georgia. He goes, Georgia? What about LSU? I'm like, what? It was an LSU fan. But, I mean, I think that's the problem. You have fans from LSU, and...

and from countless other schools who really believe, why aren't we in this? But right now, I think you're going to see the same three or four up here. I mean, Ole Miss is probably the most intriguing team. There's a negative to Ole Miss that they haven't been there. It has nothing to do with whether they will get there or not. But, I mean, they should be in it. I was talking to a former coach the other day, and he was pointing toward Eli Drinkwitz. Like, he said, why aren't people talking more about him?

I think they are. But the problem is after the first two or three, and I think the most interesting thing is from going back to maybe late winter to now is where Alabama has come from. I mean, I think the fact that

that DeBoer has recruited at such an elite level, you no longer have to say, well, I think Alabama's in the playoffs. I mean, I think when you said that maybe a couple months ago, people said, no. But now it seems to fit very well. Well, Paul, we always appreciate you. I got one more. I want Paul to just make some headlines quickly. Honest question when I think about this. I really don't know the answer. I really don't.

I look at the schedule that Texas and Oklahoma have played for the last 15 years, and it pales in comparison to the schedule they're going to face this year. With all due respect to the Big 12, it's just not the same. Texas is likely going to be second, maybe third, in these polls that come out here in the next couple days. Anticipate any growing pains for these two teams as they transition in?

There'll be some, but I totally agree with you on the Big 12. I'm not sure if you offer me $100 right now, I could probably name all the schools in the Big 12. I really just don't know, and frankly, I don't care. There's 16. Yeah, I mean, I know Colorado's in because I was asked the other day, do you think they'll make the playoffs? And I was laughing so hard I had to be rushed to the ER. So, yeah.

I can't imagine you ask that question. I think Oklahoma is maybe the school you're a little more concerned about. The folks in Norman are very realistic, though. They know who they are, but they also know that they're in a transitional period. But they like where they are. I think they'll be there. I think Texas is a playoff team. They may get upset by somebody, Greg, but I think they have enough.

that they can afford that. And that's really what this season's about. You can afford that loss. It's not over. You don't have to fight all the way back like we've seen Alabama over the years. They lose that early game maybe in 14 and 15 to Ole Miss, and they're literally up against the wall the rest of the way. Absolutely. Paul, always good stuff. Look forward to hanging the rest of the week. Thanks for stopping by this morning. Pleasure, guys.

There you go. Paul Feinbaum, ESPN, the SEC Network. You will see his show live from SEC Media Days all week. See him on the podium. I think he's listed to be with Saban at some point, just the two of them. That'll be good to kind of reminisce there. Reminisce. Well, they've been in a little dinghy before out on the lake. You mentioned something there at SEC Media Days that they've had a conversation about before. There's been a lot there that they've gone through. What year was that?

I'm going to guess 18. I don't know why I threw that number out, but I feel like that might be right. I've been doing this circuit for 11 years now. Honestly, I can't get over the fact that it's 11 years. Pat Smith just tweeted out that this is year 31 for him covering the SEC. It's a lot. It's a lot. That makes him 92.

He looks pretty good for 92. I would not have realized that he had started at 57, but I respect that. But I don't know. I can't believe how many of these have done now. I know you probably feel the same way. It's just crazy. Time flies. It does. And I can confirm that the Texas heat feels very similar to the Alabama heat and humidity. It can be brutal. Don't let it affect your home and family. Keep them comfortable with an affordable train cooling system. Train is our official partner here at Jock's.

Recognize as America's most trusted brand 10 consecutive years. Find a comfort specialist near you at train.com. All right, so on the docket today, LSU Ole Miss, South Carolina, Vanderbilt. We've heard from Clark Lease. We've got one head coach out of the way on the show. Paul Feinbaum just joined us. He's with us every week thanks to Crane Works. Richard Cross can be with us a little bit later. We'll talk about this Ole Miss football team. It's one that...

I think it's difficult to find holes in sort of that next tier, tier three, Greg. We can talk about a lot of different teams and say, well, they don't have this or their depth here concerns me a little bit. If they only had that position. When you really start going through this Ole Miss roster, it's tough to find that spot that sort of makes you feel uncomfortable just from a roster perspective of picking them to be one of the better teams in the SEC. Yeah, and honestly, I think it's really, really tough. Kind of like what you asked, Paul, when you kind of set them up.

You get past Georgia at one. Like, Georgia, I think, will be – I don't know. If they're not a unanimous, they're going to be a unanimous. There's always a couple idiots that will vote Vanderbilt, you know, to win the SEC and whatnot. Yeah, which is fine. Like, yeah, whatever. I mean, but, like, you really think about, like, two through 11. The other day I put out my top 25. I have 11 teams from the SEC in my top 25. And that is, like, you know me. I'm going to call it how I see it. Like, that's no inherent bias. I really believe that Auburn, who I have at number 25 –

is a top 25 team. Whether or not their record will reflect that is TBD. But A&M, to me, top 25 team. Kentucky on the outside, but really close in that discussion to being a top 25 team. You really think about it, man. The depth of this league is absurd. And ranking teams 3 through 11...

It's going to be really, really unique for the first time in a while. I agree. It's one of those things where there's so many teams that if – listen, I understand from a quarterback perspective we could say this every year. If they were to lose a guy or two, that's going to make it much more difficult. But it just – not even quarterbacks, just other guys on other teams. Let's take Tennessee, for example. They lose Cade Mays, I think they're in trouble.

They lose their starting running back, I think they're in trouble. I think it's just going to be a significant downfall from what they have, what they need. Like Keenan Peely again. If they lose Peely again this year, I think they're in trouble. Not that that means they're going to be a 6 or 7 win football team, but if you're talking about competing for a spot in the playoff, it could be very different football teams. Like LSU defensively. They don't have a lot of room for error over there. They can't lose a lot of guys.

So I just wonder from that perspective if that's what's going to be the difference between a lot of teams that excel and a lot of teams that are right there in that mix. Who's going to be able to move towards the top of the standings as the season progresses? If you're looking to move out of your home, though, or into a new home, it's pretty easy, GMAC. It's got to be Crocker Moving Services. They're a local company owned by an Iraq war veteran, Eric Crocker. Crocker believes in hiring moves you can trust to complete full background checks,

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It's crockermovingservices.com. Support your veterans by choosing Crocker Moving Services for your next move. All right, so we've got Richard Cross coming up later this hour. We're going to change speed a little bit in hour number two. The big boot cast, Sophie Hudson, Melanie Schenkel, are going to be with us. Talk some SEC football with them. Diehard SEC fans, if you haven't listened to the podcast before, it's funny. They're going to be an entertaining visit with us. And Greg Sankey at the podium at 9 o'clock this morning. We'll go live there and here. I asked Paul the question,

Is there a specific topic that you want to hear Commissioner Sankey address today? And just kind of get his opinion on where he is with it. Yeah, I mean, I'd really, really like, I feel like Congress is a disaster. So I'm not going to sit here and say that we're making major inroads in D.C. Like, I just don't think anything's ever going to get done. We're just, it's an election year. Everything's shelved.

I just have a hard time thinking there's going to be a whole lot of transparency on that. I would like for him to pull back the curtain on the possibility of going to nine games. I think it's an inevitability. I think it's necessary. And nine games meaning the conference schedule. I'm over eight games. If you look at the conference matchups that the Big Ten has...

and the sheer quantity of conference matchups that the Big Ten has compared to that of the SEC. Look, the matchups, to me, are more intriguing in the SEC, but there's more in the Big Ten. And I think you take the quality of the matchup and increase the volume,

We're cooking in the SEC footprint. So I would like for that to happen. I'm sure he'll get asked about the possibility of realignment. But much like Paul, I don't anticipate a whole lot of clarity there. I just don't know how much you can't. Like until Florida State and Clemson are available, how can you comment on them in good conscience? Like you just can't. So I don't anticipate anything there.

I think you'll see with Sankey today, we saw Southwest introduces the official airline of the SEC yesterday. I think you're going to get another one of those today. Think Tots. I think you're going to get... So think Tots? Correct. I think you're going to get some news. You would know that. We're going to get some... I'm trying to get realignment scoop. You're trying to figure out who's the official tot of the SEC.

We are birds of a feather. I love it. I think you'll get something that was really cool about watching the UFL this year.

That could be coming to the Southeastern Conference soon. I think you'll get some of that today. But those are going to be minor. We'll have open microphones on the OCs and DCs. That's it, yeah. We're going to be listening in to Bobby Petrino call plays for Arkansas. It's going to be a blast. We'll listen in to what Kirby's saying to his quarterback when he comes off the field after a pick. That'd be perfect. No, that's really what I want to hear. Excellent.

I've lived that nightmare before. Why was Kirby bothering you after a pick? Because they probably were pitching a shutout, and I gave them the short field. Who knows?

All right, more from SEC Media Days. Richard Cross will talk Ole Miss with us right after this on McElroy and Kublik in the morning. Catch up with all things McElroy and Kublik in the morning by subscribing to the podcast. Mythically, he's grown. He's almost like a little bit bigger than a player, right? Like the myth of Bo Jackson. Like, rate, and download the show from the Jock Tap or wherever you get your podcasts. At your job, do you ever have to deal with a nose roller? How about a snub pulley?

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