The ESPN college football analyst was on ‘McElory and Cubelic’ Tuesday morning and told us which SEC team impressed him the most this bowl season. Despite strong performances by Tennessee and LSU, Finebaum said he was most impressed with Nick Saban’s Alabama Crimson Tide.
Alabama’s most impressive team of the bowl season according to Finebaum
It’s been a bit of a mixed season for SEC teams. Teams in the Southeastern Conference have gone a combined 6-5 in the postseason. They have the most wins of any conference, but were selected to more bowl games than other conferences.
While the bowling season for the SEC has featured some beatings for teams like Florida and Kentucky, they have occasionally left the woodwork themselves. LSU and Alabama were particularly impressive, and ESPN college football analyst Paul Finebaum agrees.
Paul @Finebaum weighs in on CFB’s big makeover, @CFBPlayoff electric semifinals and Bryce Young’s @AlabamaFTBL run! https://t.co/jDU6Kd31M0
— McElroy and Cubelic in the morning (@macandcube) January 3, 2023
“I thought [Tennessee in] the Orange Bowl was pretty impressive beating Clemson,” Finebaum said Tuesday morning. “[They have] been, along with Alabama, the team of the last seven or eight years in the College Football Playoff era. I was [also] Really impressed with LSU yesterday, albeit against a bad team and interim coach.”
“I was very impressed with Alabama from non-playoff games,” Finebaum continued. “To Nick Saban’s credit, he was able to convince those players to stay. [Alabama] He put on a performance that, frankly, made me wonder why we didn’t get to see this team throughout this season? Because they looked as good as you can look. And frankly, they looked better than anyone over the weekend.”
Alabama beat Kansas State by a convincing score of 45-20 in the Sugar Bowl. However, next season they will lose their best offensive and defensive players when quarterback Bryce Young and defensive end Will Anderson Jr. enter the 2023 NFL Draft.
