This past week may have been all about the SEC, but that did not stop ESPN's Paul Finebaum from going after Clemson fans. When asked by Brooks Austin what fan base drives him nuts the most, he did not hesitate. He said it was the Clemson family. Finebaum has long carried the water for the SEC, but even with ESPN having ties to the ACC, one would think he would be a company man over all this.
Finebaum did not beat around the bush when it came to hurling more insults at the Clemson fan base.
“Overall? Clemson fans are just absurd,” Finebaum said. “Because they think they’re relevant. I get asked a couple times a year, what do you think about Dabo Swinney? And my answer’s the same, and they all start tweeting, ‘Oh man, Dabo Swinney living rent free in Paul Finebaum’s brain.’”
He then threw another cringeworthy jab by saying that Shane Beamer is going to beat Dabo Swinney.
“Now, Dabo Swinney is not living rent free in any – I mean, Shane Beamer is beating this guy," Finebaum finished.
While South Carolina could have a bounce-back season under Beamer, let's not kid ourselves over this. The man is sitting on the hottest seat of any head coach in the SEC. The only coaches feeling more pressure right now in the Power Four are Mike Norvell at Florida State, Luke Fickell at Wisconsin, Mike Locksley at Maryland, and debatably, Bill O'Brien at Boston College. Swinney is nowhere close!
Finebaum regularly takes potshots at Swinney, but for him to go after the fan base certainly is rich.
Paul Finebaum sinks to yet another new low by going after Clemson fans
The Clemson Tigers have a proud fan base. It may not be as big as some other ones across the country, but it know hows to pack Death Valley, and travel well when the matchup requires it. For years, Swinney ran Clemson like an SEC program that played an ACC schedule. The Tigers won a ton of conference titles and made a boatload of trips to the College Football Playoff largely because of it.
However, there is no need for a major college football analyst to kick a program when it is down, especially when the venue does not require him to do so. Finebaum was at SEC Media Days, and not ACC Media Days. If he had these thoughts last week when the ACC was running point, that would have been slightly more appropriate. Then again, when has Finebaum ever cared about being polite?
Under Swinney, the Tigers are recruiting surprisingly well for their standard. While it may not have been good enough to cut through in a four-team playoff model, the field has tripled, and could be growing in due time. Clemson may play in a league that is getting more and more depreciated by the season, but the ACC has sent multiple teams into the playoffs before. Look no further than in 2024...
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Regardless, Clemson is a relevant program because it is a power player inside a major conference. Any team that can get to its conference title bout in a given season is relevant. Add in the fact that Clemson has won a pair of national titles in the College Football Playoff era, how many others can say that? Only Alabama, Georgia, and Ohio State can say they have. Indiana and Michigan only have one.
Right now, Finebaum should be more focused on how Alabama and Auburn are doing than Clemson.
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