Hour 2: Dan Murphy, ESPN

Summary

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The Paul Finebaum Show – Hour 2: Dan Murphy, ESPN

Date: July 24, 2026
Host: Paul Finebaum (ESPN)
Featured Guest: Dan Murphy (ESPN College Sports Reporter)

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Episode Overview

This hour of The Paul Finebaum Show dives deep into the legislative uncertainty surrounding the much-anticipated college sports bill aimed at providing the NCAA with an antitrust exemption and reshaping how college athletics navigates NIL (Name, Image, Likeness), salary caps, and conference realignment. Paul welcomes ESPN’s Dan Murphy to dissect the political gridlock in Congress and its implications for college sports. The conversation also pivots to SEC predictions, program culture shifts in the wake of Nick Saban’s departure from Alabama, coaching impact discussions—especially about Will Muschamp—and candid reactions from passionate callers.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Congressional Stalemate on NCAA Legislation

• Dan Murphy explains the stakes:
  • For years, the NCAA has counted on Congress to create an antitrust exemption, but this bill is “maybe the last best hope” for reform (01:45).
  • With Senate Majority Leader John Thune unlikely to bring the bill to a vote before recess, the chances of passage shrink by the day.
  • Quote:

    “Because of the setback, as you mentioned, with Senator Thune saying it’s not likely to go to that vote in the Senate, what was already long odds for creating a law... got even longer… it’s starting to look pretty dim for the chances of Congress stepping in and creating some changes the NCAA wants to see.” — Dan Murphy (01:45–02:40)

• Key challenges: Not enough votes (need for 75 “yes” votes for momentum), growing bill complexity (now 110 pages), and major powers (Big Ten, SEC) not yet supporting the bill (03:35–04:13).

2. Why Is the Bill Stuck?

• Most vocal and influential conferences (SEC and Big Ten) have not been on board, preventing home-state senators from supporting the measure.
• Ted Cruz and Maria Cantwell’s teams are locked in “nuanced discussions” about issues like the salary cap and conference realignment, making the bill ever more unwieldy.
• Quote:

  “Every time I talk to people on Capitol Hill, honestly, this seems… it’s getting more and more complicated… when they need to be simplifying, are only getting more complicated.” — Dan Murphy (04:13)

3. Tight Timeline and 'Plan B' for College Sports

• With the Senate’s pre-election schedule dominated by the federal budget and the post-recess period crowded, it’s unlikely the bill will progress this session.
• December’s lame-duck session is a long shot for passing anything remotely controversial (05:32–06:23).
• Quote:

  “We’ve been through this cycle now for a couple of years… it still remains a long shot that a bill gets done.” — Dan Murphy (06:58)

• Conversations at SEC Media Days suggest conferences may opt to craft more of their own rules, or (with each failed attempt at an exemption) collective bargaining could gather steam (06:58).

4. Reaction: College Football at a Crossroads

• Paul summarizes the collective frustration:
  • After years of lobbying and millions spent, the impact is minimal, and many wonder: what’s next for college athletics’ governance?
  • Quote:

    “All this work, all this energy, all this money… What does college sports have to show for it? If not now, when?” — Paul Finebaum (06:23)

[08:42] – Switch to Fan-Driven SEC & Coaching Talk

SEC Scheduling, Playoff Contenders, and Comparative Schedules

• Callers argue that Notre Dame’s “easy” schedule compared to even the lower-tier SEC teams, and Paul discusses the luck of the calendar in determining strength of schedule (09:37–11:55).
  • Quote:

    "Notre Dame schedule is not that challenging. But I would argue that Notre Dame could handle an SEC schedule... but it all depends on the schedule too." — Paul Finebaum (10:17)

The Will Muschamp Effect

• Extended caller debate on Muschamp’s impact as a motivator and defensive mastermind—now at Texas, previously at Georgia, Florida, South Carolina.
• Multiple callers insist Texas’ breakthrough, if it happens, will be due to Muschamp, not just Sarkisian or marquee players.
• Quote:

  “Muschamp elevates the room. He’s a motivator. I believe if Texas gets over the hump, it will be because they hired Will Muschamp." — Caller (12:00)

  • Paul concurs, emphasizing Muschamp’s coaching pedigree and financial security, allowing him freedom to focus on family and schemes (13:40).

New Era at Alabama & Fan Discontent

• Callers voice skepticism and even derision over Kalen DeBoer (new Alabama coach), contrasting “West Coast” coaching ethos with historic Alabama toughness.
• Multiple call-ins focus on:
  • The expectation gap after Saban
  • Changing program culture and the importance of engaging the passionate fan base
  • Specific gripes about failing to land portal QBs, preference for “soft football,” and the impact of NIL spending races (notably LSU's $50 million "and going up").
  • Quote:

    "DeBoer is failing miserably with that group. Now, the pundits this week... so what? Who cares as long as he wins? You can’t compete with Texas and LSU... unless you have your entire fan base engaged." — Paul Finebaum (20:02)

  • Nostalgic reflection:

    "Beginning in 2009, I picked Alabama to win the national championship every single year. And one year I was not going to... but I changed the narrative..." — Paul Finebaum (24:11)

• Notable moment: The sense that 2026 marks “different times” for Alabama—no longer preseason favorites, fan engagement wavering, palpable anxiety about the program’s identity (23:44–25:22).

Cross-Regional Barbs and Coaching Legacies

• West Coast caller fires back: “We’re not soft. We’re gonna win the whole thing.” (30:58)
• Praise for Lane Kiffin (“grown up a little bit”) and rapid-fire SEC contender picks.

Political Deep Dive: Legislative Intrigue Behind the Scenes

• Caller Mike, a DC lobbyist, confirms the bill’s status: only about 17 legislative days left, not teed up in the House, and, realistically, nothing will pass this Congress (32:29–38:07).
• Highlights the real-world sausage-making (lobbying, committee timing, Black Congressional Caucus opposition, electoral shifts), but is less worried long term—“next Congress, they can just continue on.”
• Quote:

  “Congress is the last entity that you ever want to solve any real problem. If they can pass some basic framework... it would be the best thing to do. But you know, who knows at this point?” — Caller Mike (37:27)

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• Dan Murphy on the convoluted bill process:

  “It’s sort of, it’s ballooning out of control in a lot of ways. It’s not dead yet... but these conversations, when they need to be simplifying, are only getting more complicated.” (04:13)

• Paul Finebaum on Alabama’s changing narrative:

  “We are in different times. You can say it’s NIL, but Alabama’s won in every era in the last hundred years. Why are we making excuses about this particular one? They’re all different.” (24:11)

• Caller on Will Muschamp:

  “He was going to get that [Texas] program. But he leaves to go to a bad Florida team. He flames out there, he goes to South Carolina, he flames out there. He goes off the grid. He comes back to Georgia. Now he’s the D coordinator at Texas.” (13:16)

• Paul Finebaum on SEC's preseason poll:

  “There were some people who thought Texas might get the nod. Really doesn’t matter. But Georgia got the nod over Texas... Alabama 6th.” (08:06 & 38:07)

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Important Timestamps

• 01:45: Dan Murphy on the NCAA’s “last best hope” for Congressional action
• 02:56: Vote-counting realities and Senate procedural holdups
• 04:13: Expanding bill complexity, negotiations, and legislative gridlock
• 06:58: Plan B for NCAA (conference action, collective bargaining)
• 09:37–11:55: Caller debates on Notre Dame, SEC schedules
• 12:00–13:40: Extended Will Muschamp discussion
• 20:02–25:22: Alabama fan base unrest; NIL arms race; transition from Saban to DeBoer
• 32:29–38:07: Caller Mike’s Washington insider take on Congressional prospects
• 38:07: Update on SEC preseason rankings

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Tone & Style

• The episode is frank, sometimes passionate or frustrated.
• Finebaum’s questioning keeps the discussion grounded and incisive, especially in the political segment.
• Callers express a spectrum of emotions, from nostalgia to sharp criticism, with plenty of SEC partisanship and banter.

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For Listeners Who Missed It

This hour unpacks the real-world legislative drama blocking NCAA reform, reveals the bewildering politics preventing a college sports overhaul, and features sharp, sometimes emotional reactions from SEC fans grappling with seismic changes—from coaching shakeups to NIL’s free market. Dan Murphy elucidates the political impasse with clarity, while Paul and his callers reflect the broader anxiety and restlessness in college football’s power centers.

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Recommended For:
Fans invested in the future of NCAA governance, SEC partisans, followers of conference realignment and NIL, and anyone curious about the undercurrents shaping the next era of college football.

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End of Hour 2 Summary

Transcript

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[Caller Mike]

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[Paul Feinbaum Show Producer]

The pride, passion and pageantry of college football lives here. This is the Paul Feinbaum Show. Our two podcasts, this might be college football.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Second hour is live. We appreciate all of you being here. It's been a busy show so far. We'll get back to the SEC prediction in a few minutes.

[Caller David]

Of course, Georgia was to take over,

[Paul Feinbaum]

but as we were heading out of Tampa last night, this story was breaking one that many there were hoping would be a reality. And that's a vote on the college sports bill, which one of the Senate, one of the co sponsors, Eric Schmidt, said recently that he had 70 votes, obviously not enough to influence the majority leader, John Thune, to bring the issue to the Senate floor, has to pass the Senate and then get to the House. Dan Murphy's been covering that story, among others. Dan, thanks for the time. So take us through where we are, what happened and what did what Thune said or how has what Thune said perhaps put this thing in jeopardy?

[Dan Murphy]

Hi, Paul. Thanks for having me. I think for the past four or five years now, the NCAA has been relying on Congress to get themselves an antitrust exemption. And and Ted Cruz, one of the authors of the bill himself, called this maybe the last best hope for getting something done. And the expectation from a lot of leaders across college sports was if this bill could get out of the Senate before their summer recess, which begins at the end of the first week of August, that they'd have a decent chance of getting it in creating a law by the time that Congress turns over with the elections in November. But because of the setback, as you mentioned, with Senator Thune saying it's not likely to go to that vote in the Senate, we what was already long odds for creating a law that's going to give the NCAA and a lot of its conferences what they want got even longer and the window for getting this done gets shorter and shorter now. And it's starting to look pretty dim for the chances of Congress stepping in and creating some changes that the NCAA

[Paul Feinbaum]

wants to see and without getting too deep in the weeds, help us through this part of it. If it had, if Thune thought he had the votes, he would likely, am I correct, Take it to The Senate floor.

[Dan Murphy]

I think that's right. There are a couple things that could prevent the Senate majority leader from calling to a vote. One is if he's got a lot of things on his docket that he wants to prioritize over this particular bill. And then the other big one, as you mentioned, is if he doesn't think that it's going to get through, not just with the votes to pass, but this one has to have enough votes to have some real momentum going into the House when they vote on it. So. So some of the folks that I've talked to on Capitol Hill said that they want as many as 75 yes votes across the board out of the 100 senators on this in order to feel really confident that it might get done in time in the House. And it seems that, you know, we can extrapolate. It's likely that they're not quite to that number yet.

[Paul Feinbaum]

We had the commissioner on yesterday and clearly, you know, he's trying to push it through, but he's also trying to get his influence as well as Tony Petiti's influence in the revisions. He made a very interesting comment and I know you've heard this from him that they're still waiting for. It's been now three weeks to get some of these revisions and time is critical. What do you think is holding up? Maybe the answer is obvious. What do you think is holding up some of these revisions which some people believe would be essential to get the right number of votes behind it?

[Dan Murphy]

Yeah, right now the Big Ten in the SEC are the two most powerful entities in college sports, have not thrown their weight behind the bill and therefore the, the politicians in many of their home states aren't ready to vote yes for it. And I think every time I talk to people on Capitol Hill, honestly, this gets seems to get it's 110 pages piece of legislation already as it's currently written. And it seems like it's getting more and more complicated. In the past week or so, the stabs of Senator Cruz and Cantwell have been trying to hash out details, but people are talking about expanding salary cap that currently exists for college sports. They're talking about having some really nuanced discussions about how conference realignment might work. And anytime you really get into the weeds on some of those details, things get more and more difficult. There are more and more voices that want to weigh in and tweak language. And I think, you know, it's sort of, it's ballooning out of control in a lot of ways. It's not dead yet. But these conversations, when they need to be simplifying are only getting more complicated.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Dan Murphy with us. And Dan, just one more procedural question. It will unlikely, according to Thune, it will unlikely come to the floor before the recess, after the recess. What is left for the Senate before they shut down for the midterms?

[Dan Murphy]

Yeah, I mean, you get back in September and you've got a chunk of September and October, but traditionally in Congress that time usually a lot of it goes to figuring out a budget for the federal government. And then a lot of folks are obviously out campaigning, trying to do their last ditch efforts to get elected again before we see the new Congress. And then you have a little bit of a lame duck session in December that something could get done potentially then. But it gets really, really difficult. Usually things Congress that is already having a hard time passing any law, it gets even tougher as we get closer and closer to election day. So, you know, I think a lot of folks across college sports and even, you know, in D thought that getting this done over the summer, at least through the Senate over the summer was really important for the likelihood of a law ever getting passed here.

[Paul Feinbaum]

I mean, there's a lot of frustration right now and you know, pundits have, you know, were reporting or were were commenting last night after some of your reports that this is a debacle for college football. I'm just paraphrasing what's a compilation of what I've read that all this work, all this energy, all this money, and we're talking about zillions of dollars in lobbying. What does college sports have to show for it? I know that's not your responsibility, but it does raise the question, if not now, when?

[Dan Murphy]

Yeah. Or what's plan B? I think is the question that a lot of folks and we heard, you know, as I'm sure you heard plenty down there at SEC media days, for some it's the conferences themselves trying to enforce more rules individually. And for other people it's a lot of people talk about collective bargaining getting more momentum with every passing time that we don't have an antitrust exemption. It seems less and less likely every time we've been through this cycle now for a couple of years that Congress is going to be able to, to deliver what the NCAA has asked them to deliver. And I think it's fair for people to wonder, you know, it was always, it always felt like a long shot. It still remains a long shot that a bill gets done. And I think the people running college sports saw it as, as a worthwhile investment even though they have spent millions on that front. We're talking about protecting industry that generally that annually generates tens of billions of dollars. Right. So percentage wise, it's, it's not a huge investment to try to get a big piece of legislation passed.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Dan, many thanks. Always great to catch up with one of the great reporters covering college athletics, Dan Murphy of espn.

[Caller Paul]

Again,

[Paul Feinbaum]

this bill was given a real chance. You heard so many people on this program be optimistic for the first time. And it feels based on what I heard from Thamill yesterday, Ross Dellinger, and ultimately from Dan that this thing has crashed and burned. Where does college athletics turn? We'll take a short break. We are coming right back.

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[Paul Feinbaum]

We are back. Great to have you back and Pat Smith joining us a little bit later in the program. And pride, something we should all have is next.

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[Paul Feinbaum]

Arizona.

[Caller David]

Hello, Paul, thanks for taking my call. I watched the SEC football kick off and they showed the teams that will possibly make the playoffs and they had Ohio State 1, Texas 2, Notre Dame 3. If you would put Notre Dame schedule up on the board and put the worst team in the sec, which is Arkansas, put their schedule up on the board and you will see that Arkansas schedule is tougher than Notre Dame's.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Well, yeah, you can also remember that Arkansas beat played Notre Dame last year in Fayetteville and lost by about 60 points. Notre Dame schedule is not that challenging. But I would argue that Notre Dame could handle an SEC schedule. I mean they haven't. They have one of the two or three or four best teams in the country. I don't, you know, last year they, you know, they lost two games. They lost the first two games of the Year at Miami of incredibly difficult place to play that night. And at home against A and M by one point. But yeah, I mean, you know, what SEC schools do is different. But it all depends on the schedule, too. I was looking at Penn State. Have you seen Penn State schedule? I mean, they're in the Big Ten. Three of the top five schools in the country are in the Big Ten. They don't play any of them. So a lot of it is a little bit of luck in the sec. Some schools got better schedules than the other, but this might be the worst schedule I have ever seen. If they don't have a successful season under Matt Campbell, I'm going to be shocked. Marshall, Temple and Buffalo are your three nons. They don't even attempt to play a legitimate team. And the road games are out at Northwestern, at Michigan, at Washington. I mean, there's a couple of. There may be two losses in there. I mean, they could. They could be on the outside of a playoff with garbage teams like Purdue, Wisconsin, Rutgers, Minnesota and Maryland. Hey, thank you so much for the call. Appreciate it. David in Ocala, you're up next. Good afternoon,

[Caller Dave]

Paul.

[Caller discussing Coach Boone and Muschamp]

I want to talk a little bit about Coach Boone. I did not get to watch yesterday. I know it was Texas day and he probably was talked about, but I want to mention the fact that I believe the last two years with Georgia, had he not left to go watch his son play ball or whatever, that we would have been a much better defensive team. I don't think we would have caved against Ole Miss at the end in the quarterfinals. I don't even think Alabama would have beat us the first time. MUS champ elevates everybody. He is a motivator. I love Glenn Schumann. Glenn Schumann has been loyal. He's a great linebackers coach. He's a great teacher. I'm glad we have him. But MUS champ elevates the room. He's a motivator. I believe if Texas gets over the hump, it will be because they hired Will Muschamp. It won't be because of Sark. It won't be because of Arch. It won't even be because of all their portal players. He would have had that defense better last year and the year before that. And then think about this going back to Max Brown. Muschamp was the heir apparent. He was going to get that program. But he leaves to go to a bad Florida team. He flames out there, he goes to South Carolina.

[Dan Murphy]

He flames out there.

[Caller discussing Coach Boone and Muschamp]

He goes off the grid. He comes back to Georgia. Now he's the D coordinator at Texas. So if Sark were to get a big offer from an NFL team or he just got tired of the pressure or whatever, you think that Texas would give him the next chance at head coach?

[Caller Paul]

Yeah.

[Paul Feinbaum]

David, thank you for the call. Great call. And I think Muschamp is one of the most critical factors. And, you know, some people are wondering where, you know, because of what Muschamp has done recently. You're right. He devoted his attention to his son, and that's great. I think we all wish we could do things like that. Unfortunately, a lot of people can't. Because of the necessity of working. Muschamp's picked up a few buyouts along the way, so I'm sure financially he's probably pretty secure. I hope he still has it because in his career as a coordinator at Auburn and Texas and other places, he's been among the very, very best. And for the reason that you laid out. Thanks for the call. And by the way, he's got Colin Simmons. He's got. I think the defense is the key to Texas. They have stars at every position. Dave in Montgomery, Alabama, you're on the air.

[Caller Dave]

Hey, Paul. Listen, I heard Cedric Colden and Kirk Bowles on last night with you, and it was like, I went to war with them. Media wars for 36 years. So it was great seeing them last night with you.

[Paul Feinbaum]

They are two great people. I'm glad you liked that. Thank you.

[Caller Dave]

Yes, that was terrific. A great get with the Ted Cruz story that won't seem to end. I was in Austin when Mack Brown was there and coach Will Muschamp was the coach in waiting. I was there. They used to have a title called Coach in waiting. Remember that?

[Paul Feinbaum]

Oh, yeah. Jimbo Fisher was a coach in waiting at Florida State.

[Caller Dave]

That's right. There were quite a few of them back then. And then when it didn't work out quite so well, they. They got away from that. But anyway, Will Muschamp's kid is why he was at Georgia. I'm curious, was. Did he end his eligibility there? Why did the coach move back to Austin and did the Muschamp kid come with him? I don't know.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Didn't Muschamp transfer? Okay, okay. One may have. Yeah, one may have grabbed. I'll double check on that. I heard one of his sons mentioned this week by one of the head coaches.

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[Caller Dave]

every home well, let me tell you, I am in Montgomery, Alabama now after being in Austin for the last 36 years, and I love Montgomery, Alabama. But this is Auburn country, as you know. And I got some intel I wanted to share with your viewers today. Some intel from the father of an SEC referee yesterday who said that Goelish has been hitting in practice and that that's why he thinks Auburn will turn things around because they are a more physical football team.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Dave, that's really interesting because that was

[Caller Dave]

the biggest knock on Mac Brown was that he didn't allow hitting in practice. You'll have to have asked Mac about that. But Golich is supposedly hitting at least now. How would the SEC official know about that? He had.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Well, well, Dave, the reason why he might know about that is that a lot of times during spring, remember, they have not, they're not at practice yet. Their players are practicing by themselves, not with any coaches, even though the coaches are probably keeping up with it pretty closely. They, they use, they use live officials in scrimmages once during spring and once the season, once the preseason starts.

[Caller Dave]

Right. Well, they didn't have great things to say about Devore, but they did. Golish and I'm curious if, if this intel that I got matched what you were hearing at the SEC media days. I actually sat and watched the last four days in Tampa with interest, having attended the Big 12 media days in Dallas.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Dave, I heard really good things about Alex Gorsh from everyone. I had the opportunity. I wasn't planning on. I was going, I had to go back and get something in my room and I went down the elevator and I looked up and there was Byron Brown. He actually said hello to me. We talked for a few minutes and I got the impression from him that, that that program is really locked in right now. I expect Auburn to be sensationally better than last year. If they can navigate the schedule, they'll have a memorable year. Hey, thanks for the call. Let me go to the Zoom and say hello again to Bash.

[Caller Bash]

Well, I'm glad you have faith in one team in the state of Alabama, Paul. I do not have faith in either of them, especially after Kaylen DeBoer's comment. But let me ask you a question, Paul. When Caleb Naboor answered Conor o' Garrett's question with the response that blew up the Internet, do you think that he is basically just adapting to the new era of college football? He's like, hey, guys, come in, Alabama, we'll make you better. And then you'll just leave us and go to some other school next year. What do you think, Paul?

[Paul Feinbaum]

Yeah, I mean, listen, first of all, you can't be what you're not. And that's who Kaywin DeBoer is. I mean, I haven't, you know, gone on a deep sea fishing trip with a guy, but I've been around him enough that he's a likable, engaging, quiet personality that does not resemble a football coach in any way, shape or form.

[Caller Bash]

Especially not an Alabama football coach, right or wrong.

[Caller Vance]

No.

[Paul Feinbaum]

And I saw somebody earlier today, I'm not gonna even. Because some people knew where I was. And this guy, random fan, he goes, let me ask you a question. I said, yeah, what about Alabama? I said, I think I started to equivocate, as you can imagine. He said, that guy needs to go. I mean, he didn't even let me finish the sentence. And this was an older guy, probably in 50s, 60s, who just, he's had enough. Now, the problem is those guys don't make the decisions. But you and I know the rank and file Alabama fans pretty well. You're on the young end. I know a lot of the other guys. And DeBoer is failing miserably with that group. Now, you can, you know, the pundits this week on all the shows. So what? Who cares as long as he wins? You can't compete with Texas and lsu, who has an unlimited budget, Georgia A and M, unless you have your entire fan base engaged. I mean, I, I knew that I had heard the number at 40 million, but when, who was it? Matt Moscona came on this show and he's a. Listen, Moscona is as plugged in to that regime down there as anybody in Baton Rouge. And he said it's 50 million and going up. And they're having a meeting next week with the governor and they're going to pass the hat, you know, pass the crypto.

[Caller Bash]

Sounds good. I mean, but Paul, the fan base in Alabama, we are in this position because Kaylin DeBoer, it's like when we lost the game to Indiana last year. Paul, there's Nothing that Kaylan DeBoer could have said this week that was going to like, we forgive you, Kaylin. It's a new season. Like no matter what he was going to say, we, we were still going to be mad at him. But the way he said everything made us more mad. And now it's like, tell me if you think I have him wrong about this, Paul. He might go into next year like Brian Kelly opening his mouth, saying all this about like, what is the new season this year? If he doesn't live up to expectations, what's going to happen? The fans that will show up to home games in Tuscaloosa will boo him out of the stadium. Right or wrong?

[Paul Feinbaum]

Right.

[Caller Vance]

And.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Well, let me. I just saw something. Travis Reyer, who's a well known reporter, tweeted something out a minute ago and I don't think the media knows that much. Sometimes they do. But I'm getting. We're forming perceptions right now. Alabama, sixth in the preseason poll, barely edging out Oklahoma. Travis Ryer here just tweeted or somebody tweeted this. Alabama had six players chosen on the all preseason teams. Okay, this is a snapshot. That's all it is. They had 1, 2, 3 first teamers, Brown Hubbard and Coleman Williams. So going 2017, pretty good year for Alabama, wasn't it?

[Caller Bash]

2017? Yeah, it was a great year.

[Paul Feinbaum]

16 selections including 10 first teamers. That that is showing you an eight or nine year variation of just expectations before the season. Alabama won the title that year as everyone knows. The perception. I mean I'm sure the Do Gooders in Greg Burns support group are going to say at the end of the season depending on what the record. Hey, I think he ought to be coach of the year considering they thought he was only going to be number six in the sec. I mean, I'm sure that that's already being formulated.

[Caller Bash]

Oh absolutely.

[Paul Feinbaum]

By the Do Gooders. But right now this is a chilling snapshot of how quickly this program has fallen.

[Caller Bash]

Not only has it fallen, Paul, but answer this question. From 2009 to 2023, was there ever a year that you didn't enter the season like today, before the season started, Alabama doesn't have a team to win a championship.

[Paul Feinbaum]

I mean, first of all, you know me pretty well. Beginning in 2009, I picked Alabama to win the national championship every single year. And one year I was not going to. It was 2011 and I'll never forget. Give me one second here to tell the story. I was on the stage in front of about 20,000 people at this concert for the tornado victims. I was introducing a group Bash. And I thought, I need to change the narrative here. There are a couple of boos. So I went on and said, you know what? I thought LSU was going to win the national championship, but I'm telling you right now, when the season's over, Alabama, blah, blah, blah, the 20,000 people came to their feed. Then I introduced whatever group I was supposed to introduce, and I was right. Alabama beat LSU that year. As everyone knows, we are in different times. You can say it's nil, but Alabama's one in every era in the last hundred years. Why are we making excuses about this particular one? They're all different. We'll take a break. More to come. Pat Smith an hour away. We're back after this.

[Paul Feinbaum Show Producer]

You're listening to the Paul Feinbaum Show Podcast.

[Paul Feinbaum]

And welcome back. Been a while since we've talked to this next person, Vance in Georgia.

[Caller Vance]

Good afternoon, Paul.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Hey there, Vance.

[Caller Vance]

Redundant subject on my part. I apologize for that. Kaylin DeBoer and the University of Alabama. There's one thing I've noticed is there really hadn't been a powerhouse, rugged football team come off the West coast since 2007 with Southern Cal, and they didn't cut the mustard either. Well, what about Oregon? What about Washington? What'd they do? Nothing. I don't care about them. My, my problem is it's like you said earlier to Bash, you can't expect someone to change who they are. Well, hell, we all know that. However, what are we expecting different when the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior? And I don't hear people talk about this enough. I brought it up. I've heard other callers bring it up. This Ryan Grubb is fired by the Seahawks for not developing a running game. And the very next season after he's gone, they win the super bowl by running the ball and playing great defense. It kind of takes you back to General Nealan, doesn't it?

[Paul Feinbaum]

Yeah. And that coach was so well thought of, he got a head coaching job.

[Caller Vance]

And I'm like, you know, what part of this don't we understand? Do you really expect them to change their stripes? Do you really expect Alabama to be a rugged running football team? Guys, it's not going to happen. Let's just face facts. And he starts this kid that was. That came there from Washington instead of the Russell kid that is. See, that's a problem.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Well, and here's why. Vance, by the way, one more thing on that. If it ends up being Austin, Mack Keel on Russell will walk away. We all know that. And it also creates a bigger issue. Unless Austin Mack becomes Ty Simpson or somebody better than. He blew it. Not going after a quarterback in the portal.

[Caller Vance]

Oh, and not to mention they got some freshman running back that they say, I know this isn't. Yes, it's possible, but it's very doubtful. It's kind of like a reincarnation of Herschel Walker and bo Jackson and etc. Etc. Well, if he's not getting the carries, where the hell is he gonna go? I mean, I don't know what anyone. These people play soft football out there. Where DeBoer and that other moron come from. That's just what it is. That's my opinion of them. Do you not think they play soft football out there?

[Paul Feinbaum]

Well, that's the impression that they give. I mean, somebody said this week, on the air or off the air, I don't even remember that Caitlin DeBoer is such a good coach technically that he probably wins a game or two that he. That he shouldn't win. But you also, and you know where I'm going, throws away a game or two that you shouldn't. Like the Florida State game last year because they were soft.

[Caller Vance]

Well, well, they were more than that. They were unprepared. Yeah, but you know, I saw things that I never thought I see at Alabama two years ago when. When our great quarterback Milroe was the most athletic person on the field in many regards, posing a second interception to Oklahoma and goes to try to trip the guy. He could have knocked him into the first row of the stands with the angle he had. And that I'm like, what in the hell's going on here? And the guy, yes, I'm going to root for him, but how can I legitimately have any belief in the guy? I mean, the team. Listen, folks, Alabama fans, you get negative three yards against Georgia, you win a football game that you should have got your ass kicked, that's Oklahoma's fault in a playoff, and then you get curved by, stomped by Indiana. That's the memories I have. That negative three yards to Georgia means a hell of a lot to me. And that's terrible. I mean, that is terrible football. And if the next person I hear say, well, Alabama can't run the football, that is a lie. They chose not to run the football. Does that have any merit with you, sir?

[Paul Feinbaum]

It does. Vance, thank you. Great to be back with you again. Paul is up next in California. Hello, Paul.

[Caller Paul]

Hey, how are you doing? I just listened to Vance. We're soft in. In the West Coast, Oregon, Washington, usc. Tell Vance I'll come out there, I'll knock the cowboy hat off his head and we'll go in it. I'm 642 40, and I have no problems with messing with him. We're not soft. We're gonna win the whole thing. Second question. Lane Kiffin's interview yesterday. Awesome.

[Caller discussing Coach Boone and Muschamp]

Awesome.

[Caller Paul]

He said everything right. I think he's grown up a little bit.

[Caller Vance]

I think he's good, dude.

[Caller Paul]

I listen, the whole ESP thing, it was pretty good. And then last question, Paul, for you, top three teams at the end of the season. Sec.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Yeah, I have two. I'm struggling with the third. I mean, I'm very confident of Texas and Georgia. And I think the next group literally comes down to about five schools, and I've yet to make up my mind. Thanks for the call. We're up against the break. Been a busy one. Pat Smith, a little bit later on what the vibe is in Alabama about Kaylen DeBoer's performance this week in Tampa.

[Paul Feinbaum Show Producer]

You're listening to the Paul Feinbaum Show Podcast.

[Paul Feinbaum]

And welcome back. Continuing here with your phone calls. And Mike is up next.

[Caller Mike]

Hey, Paul, good afternoon. Thanks for taking my call. Thank you. Just wanted to talk a couple quick things. Been an Alabama fan for over 50 years, unfortunately, makes me old. But anyway, pretty close to the program down there and no Deborah, no Saban and, you know, stay close to what's

[Caller Dave]

going on down there.

[Caller Mike]

And the gentleman, I don't, I forgot his name, but from Georgia, just called in a couple callers ago talking about Alabama and Deborah and, you know, so forth and so on and about everything he said is dead on. At least I would agree with his opinion. And one of the things, it's kind of sad how college athletics, you know, the state of college athletics is right now with, you know, the transfer portal and nil and, you know, but if you're going to, you have to play the game. I mean, if you're going to have a program, you got to play the game. And I said several years ago there were three Bs that had to go for Alabama to return, and that was Bell, Batts and Burns. Well, Bell and Batts are gone. Won't get into who they are. You might know who they are, but Burns is still there. And I hope I'm wrong, but I've said that as long as he's the ad, Alabama will never win a national championship in any sport, period. Obviously, football's the only one they typically do, and it's all about money. And he's an Administrator, which some people refer to as a bean counter. And he didn't spend the money. You know, I talked to Courtney Morgan, you know, just a few weeks ago and said, hey, did you have the money you needed to build a roster? And he said, no, I needed about $6 million. Not 60 or 600. He needed six. And so, you know, that's the state of it right now. He Burns is fine with being sixth in the SEC in football. And if he makes a playoff and wins a playoff game, he, you know, touts that. And if he goes to the sec, excuse me, the SEC games or the College World Series or whatever, then he touts that as, hey, I'm doing a great job. And but anyway, just Alabama fans need to be aware that he can change that if he wants to, but if he doesn't, he needs to go. But I do a little bit of lobby work and have for, I don't know, over a decade in D.C. and was up there last week and had dinner with Ted Cruz and we kind of talked some about your what you had interview with the gentleman with ESPN a little while ago. And they could potentially work out something in the Senate for this Congress, but There's only about 17 legislative days left. And if they haven't already teed this up in the House and have sponsors and co sponsors and probably Commerce Committee and ready to come out of Commerce Committee, it's just not going to happen this Congress now, even if it doesn't happen this Congress, so what, there's another Congress that takes, you know, office next January and they can just continue on with this, you know, and get it done? I mean, something like this is going to take a long time. So I wouldn't be too worried about it not getting past this Congress because this Congress is pretty much over,

[Dan Murphy]

especially

[Caller Mike]

in the House, if they don't already have it teed up and ready to go. But next Congress, they definitely are going to need to.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Well, Mike, let me ask you this, though, because the issue in the House, I'm not a Washington guy like you are, but it seems like the Black Congressional Caucus came out against it because of a number of things that are not directly related and that would seemingly be a problem now. We don't know what Congress is going to look like in January. We know what the predictions are.

[Caller Mike]

Yeah, no, you're definitely right. I mean, midterms, it could change the change the House, could change the Senate. I mean, I think Cruz was more worried about the Senate than he was about the House. He thought that the redistricting through all the different states might give the Republicans a chance to hold on to the House. Even though historically, you know, this midterm election, you know, with the incumbent flips to the other party, which is, you know, most likely, I guess. But he was worried about, you know, the Cornyn guys in Texas, you know, pouting and going home and doing nothing and letting the Democrat win because they stayed home. But, and of course he talked about two or three, four other states, but he was more concerned about the Senate. But, you know, well, that's to see, I mean, if they can really cut down on voter fraud like they're trying to do, you know, you might see a whole huge difference in the way things turn out. But I think so. It, it is a huge deal. Congress is the last

[Caller Dave]

entity that you

[Caller Mike]

ever want to solve any real problem. If they can pass some basic framework and give some, whether it's NCAA or, or some other entity, you know, antitrust, and let them go decide for themselves, you know, what's best for, you know, whatever it is would be really probably the best thing to do. But you know, who knows at this point? It's, it's going to be an interesting ride, I guess. But, but you had a good interview with that guy earlier from espn. So I enjoyed that and appreciate all you do and, and at some point in time we have more time. I'll, I'll tell my favorite Paul Feinbaum story.

[Caller David]

So.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Man, I look forward to that. Mike, thank you for sharing some insight. That's, you definitely are plugged in. We appreciate you calling. Thank you very much. We are just go over the show for a second. A couple of different things have happened. We had the big story earlier was the SEC media poll always comes out Friday morning after SEC media days. And then I wouldn't call it a big surprise. There were some people who thought Texas might get the nod. Really doesn't matter. But Georgia got the nod over. Texas got a number of first place votes. If you have not seen or heard it, it's Georgia, Texas, Ole Miss, A&M 4th, LSU, Alabama 6th, Oklahoma, Tennessee 8th, Florida, Missouri, South Carolina, Auburn, Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Kentucky, Mississippi State and of course Arkansas.