Hour 2: Rece Davis, College GameDay

Summary

The Paul Finebaum Show – Hour 2: Rece Davis, College GameDay

Date: August 11, 2026
Host: Paul Finebaum (ESPN, SEC/College Football)
Special Guest: Rece Davis (ESPN, College GameDay Host)

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Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into the current landscape of college football, with a blend of listener calls, expert opinions, and behind-the-scenes discussion. The episode’s centerpiece is a thoughtful and wide-ranging conversation with Rece Davis, fresh off his on-the-road tour interviewing coaches and players for College GameDay. Major topics include shifts in SEC and Big Ten power, the prospect of player coalitions, preseason predictions, and the evolving atmospheres surrounding top programs and prominent coaches.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Coaching Insights at Alabama

Guest: Kane Womack, Alabama Defensive Coordinator
[00:48–02:21]

• Womack shares how Nick Saban, now a consultant, continues to mentor and advise, especially on third-down defense.
  • Womack: “In the off season Coach Saban and I talk a lot...watching us on third downs...he had some really good points.” [01:09]
• Emphasis on evolving defensive strategies and returning to aggressive man coverage.
• Reflection on Alabama’s high standards and continuous drive for improvement.

2. Listener Calls: Expansion & Player Power

Caller Vance, Georgia
[02:31–07:33]

• Questions 24- and 20-team College Football Playoff rumors and the implications for players.
• Suggests the possibility of players forming a coalition or collective bargaining group.
  • Vance: “Why don’t they form a coalition?...maybe the players just come up and say, we're not going to play another down until you people get your minds right.” [04:55]
• Critiques the lack of true player voices in key decision-making meetings.
  • Paul: “There wasn’t a single player at the only meeting that mattered, and that was the one at the White House.” [06:45]

3. Music & Personality Interlude

Caller John, Louisville
[07:40–09:06]

• Lighthearted discussion of concerts (John Mellencamp, Bob Seger), segues into appreciation of Paul’s interviews with Georgia analyst Jordan Poole and Miami’s Mario Cristobal.
  • John: “Your interview with Mario Cristobal felt like old times, did it not to you?” [08:58]
  • Paul: “He’s such a cool guy. I really love the guy.” [09:06]

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Featured Guest Segment: Rece Davis Interview

4. Rece’s Wimbledon Experience

[12:04–13:36]

• Rece recaps hosting Wimbledon, describing the professionalism, tradition, and his adjustment to tennis coverage.
  • Rece: “There were moments…that I felt as if I were translating a foreign language in my head and then trying to spit it back out in a language everyone else understood…” [12:04]
• Shares a memorable Center Court match and the importance of etiquette at the All England Club.
  • Rece: “I like to wear a tie when I cut my grass.” (humorously, on dressing up at Wimbledon) [13:13]

5. College GameDay US Tour: Coaches, Food, Personality

[14:19–15:23]

• Davis details his preseason travels, interviewing coaches/players at Miami (Mario Cristobal), Indiana (Kurt Signetti), Texas Tech (Joey Maguire), Ole Miss (Trinidad Chambliss), and Notre Dame (CJ Carr).
• Focus on letting players reveal off-field personalities (dining out, favorite hangouts, trying froyo, indoor ping-pong).
  • Rece: “We had a chance to both dive into football and to let these guys show a little bit of their personalities on the other side.” [15:14]

6. Preseason Takeaways and Team Confidence

[15:45–18:12]

• Davis predicts Notre Dame as preseason #1 and praises their maturity/drive after missing last year’s playoff.
• Discusses Miami’s “confidence gained” from last season’s near-title and remarks how their recent championship run has silenced skepticism.
  • Rece: “They were 47 yards away from winning a national championship. So I think that’s really elevated the confidence within Mario Cristobal’s program.” [15:45]
• Highlights the huge popularity of Ole Miss’ Trinidad Chambliss (“Manning-esque in Oxford”).
  • Rece: “He is…the unofficial mayor of Oxford…treats it with a great deal of humility and gratitude and respect.” [17:06]
  • Noted story: a grandmother met Chambliss, making it the new highlight of her day.

7. The Lane Kiffin Effect at Ole Miss & LSU Matchup

[18:12–19:50]

• Discussion of lingering fan emotions about Lane Kiffin’s departure, while players have mostly moved on.
  • Rece: “The wound is still raw for the fans…Trinidad and his teammates have kind of moved on.” [18:32]
  • Game vs. LSU and Kiffin’s return to Oxford will be a huge spotlight; fan animosity, but players frame it as “business.”

8. SEC vs. Big Ten: Who’s on Top?

[19:50–21:51]

• Davis contends the Big Ten is “on top right now” due to a clearer group of ultra-elite teams.
  • Rece: “Right now…it’s more apparent who the ultra elite teams in the Big Ten will be than it is in the SEC.” [20:25]
• SEC is still deep, but its former dominance at the very top has “regressed a little” in recent years.
• Suggests preseason top 5 could lack SEC teams—but the next tier is crowded with them.

9. The Evolving Identity of Alabama Football

[21:51–24:04]

• Davis observed Alabama in June and saw a team finally at ease with a new standard, not chasing “ghosts of the past.”
  • Rece: “You can’t be chased by ghosts…That all may be true…and it is because it’s the greatest dynasty in college football, bar none.” [22:09]
• Now more comfortable “being a contender and excellent,” not weighed down by expectations for Saban-level domination.
  • Rece: “I also think they're enjoying a little bit…the fact that very little is expected of them in terms of winning championships.” [23:16]
• The team will remain “under the radar” until their first big win or loss.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Kane Womack: “To be a dominant defense, you've got to be able to go play some press and man...I hope we're moving back in a direction to where we feel like we can do that.” [01:09]
• Paul Finebaum: “Nick Saban earning that half a million dollars a year as a consultant.” [02:21]
• Caller Vance: “Why don’t they just put these players on a boat with sails and ship them to different ports… and make them get off in their damn undergarments and bid on them?” [04:06] (satirical comment on player commodification)
• Paul Finebaum: “There wasn’t a single player at the only meeting that mattered, and that was the one at the White House.” [06:45]
• Rece Davis: “I like to wear a tie when I cut my grass.” [13:13]
• Rece Davis: “He is… the unofficial mayor of Oxford… treats it with a great deal of humility and gratitude and respect.” [17:06]

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Listener Call Highlights & Community Vibe

SEC, Predictions, and Fan Debates

• Callers challenge Paul’s (and each other’s) opinions on who will win the SEC.
  • Swamp Dog vehemently questions why Paul picks Texas over Georgia, focusing on past records and “to be the man, you gotta beat the man” rhetoric. [28:38–32:50]
    • Paul: “You get asked a question on TV…they want the name of a school. So they asked me, who do you think is going to win the SEC? I said Texas.” [31:08]
  • Squirrel calls Swamp Dog “probably the worst” caller, pokes fun at the repetitive debates about coach DeBoer, and wishes callers would bring solutions, not just complaints. [35:39–39:31]

Nostalgia and Rivalry

• Caller Ken, New Mexico: Shares childhood memories of Tennessee vs. Texas, reveals that SEC fans “hold grudges longer,” and lightly mocks federal government attempts to legislate on college football. [39:39–43:05]

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Closing Thoughts

Paul Finebaum’s show continues to blend spirited fan interaction with high-level analysis and insider info. This episode, energized by Rece Davis’s unique perspective, offers listeners both granular preseason insight and colorful, sometimes zany, community banter. The SEC/Big Ten arms race, the undercurrent of player empowerment, and the shifting sands of program dominance are all in play, with predictions and personality taking equal turns at the mic.

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• [00:48] Kane Womack on Alabama, Nick Saban, and defensive strategies
• [02:31] Caller Vance on playoff expansion and player power
• [07:40] Concert tales and Miami/Georgia/Mario Cristobal commentary
• [12:04] Rece Davis on hosting Wimbledon
• [14:19] Davis’s preseason campus tour stories
• [15:45] Preseason team evaluations (Notre Dame, Miami, Ole Miss)
• [18:12] Lane Kiffin/LSU Ole Miss game preview
• [19:50] SEC vs. Big Ten “who’s on top” debate
• [21:51] Status and mindset of Alabama football post-Saban
• [28:38] Swamp Dog/Paul debate over Texas vs. Georgia
• [35:39] Squirrel hammers Swamp Dog, calls for less speculation
• [39:39] Ken’s rivalry nostalgia; criticism of governmental involvement

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For newcomers or long-time fans alike, this episode is a lively snapshot of college football’s endless arguments, shifting narratives, and colorful personalities—with Rece Davis adding insider travelogues and preseason predictions only GameDay can deliver.

Transcript

[Paul Finebaum]

Introducing Meta glasses. You have questions, They've got answers.

[Reese Davis]

Hey Meta, what's the capital of Peru?

[Kane Womack]

Lima.

[Paul Finebaum]

How do you say where's the restroom in Spanish? Donde esta Alvano? Hey, Meta, is a hot dog a sandwich?

[Caller/Guest]

Technically, no.

[Reese Davis]

Spiritually, yes.

[Caller/Guest]

Hey Meta, what should I do with my life?

[Paul Finebaum]

That's one of life's biggest questions. What do you think?

[Reese Davis]

Ask anything with the new Meta glasses.

[Caller/Guest]

The pride, passion and pageantry of college football lives here. This is the Paul Feinbaum Show.

[Reese Davis]

Our two podcasts. This might be college football.

[Paul Finebaum]

Welcome back. Kane Womack sounds like a country singer in Nashville, but he's actually the defensive coordinator of the University of Alabama. Came over from South Alabama, Alabama, where he had been a very successful head coach. Let's listen. Because he had some very revealing comments recently about where he goes for advice in the off season.

[Kane Womack]

I think, you know, we certainly, there are times, right, where you have to be able to play match coverage to be able to go win in this league. And you know, in the off season Coach Saban and I talk a lot and you know, that was one thing that he brought up watching us on third downs and I thought he had some really good points of, of one or two more variations of things that we can do, right. To be able to complement some of the stuff that we're already doing. And you know, you look at our third down numbers in the past, in our history, we've been pretty good and we, I thought we, you know, we're, we're not where we needed to be. We had too many third and longs where we didn't get off the field, you know, and, and so for us maybe having a couple more variations and things that we do and then certainly, you know, to be a dominant defense, you've got to be able to go play some press and man, and that's something that we've always done. We did more of it in 2024 and then last year did a little bit less for a number of reasons, but something that, you know, I hope that, that we're moving back in a direction to where we feel like we can, we can do that and, and also play a couple variations of, of some match year style coverage.

[Paul Finebaum]

Nick Saban earning that half a million dollars a year as a consultant. Let's get to the calls. And Vance in Georgia is up next.

[Caller Vance]

Hey Paul, I was wanting your opinion of this. I heard this nonsense yesterday. To me it's nonsense. They kept Talking about the 24 team playoffs and, and you showed up on the screen and the money it could generate. Then there was a quick blurb that Heather Dennis is reporting a 20 team possibility. I heard, man, Mandel pretty much poo poo on that. Right? And, and I'm hearing all this. What's the second? You know, what's plan B? Well, I got a question, a thought. Who's going to wrangle this in? Could it not possibly be the players? Because they've gained a lot of power over the last few years and they have these camps around different states with the top high school athletes. Some of them coalesce together to go to one school, AKA the Ole Miss team that was out of nowhere the number one recruiting team in the, in the country with Robert Camdeets. You remember that?

[Paul Finebaum]

Oh, yeah, sure do. Famous, famous class.

[Caller Vance]

Yeah. Yeah. And they talk about these things and I'm wondering, why don't they form a coalition? Because I'm starting to. I'm going to get a little dramatic here, but outside of a few callers that have called this show, this happens to be over the last year and mentioned this, they talk. Why don't they just put these players on a boat with sails and ship them to different ports around the eastern seaboard and get up, make them get off in their damn undergarments and bid on them? Because I've never heard them ask a player one the attitude that will they all think they're going to go to the NFL. That's not true, Paul. That's impossible. And some of them just want an education. And you say, well, you know, so what if we have a 2014 playoff? Which by the way, that will not be enough. As soon as they went to four, Ray Charles, Helen Keller and Abe Lincoln knew it was right. Then it was going to start growing and growing and growing. And now look at it. So I mean, maybe the players just come up and say, we're not going to play another down until you people get your minds right. Is there? Do you think that's a remotely decent thought?

[Paul Finebaum]

Yeah, it's a good thought. I don't think we are quite to that point yet, but, but, but I will certainly ponder it with all the experts. How about that?

[Caller Vance]

Oh, God, that'll be dangerous. I'd rather you ponder it without the expert.

[Paul Finebaum]

Well, I want to. I want to. I want to hear what all the consultants say first so that. So then I know what not to say.

[Caller Vance]

Well, and it's okay. I'm gonna give you a quick criticism.

[Paul Finebaum]

Sure.

[Caller Vance]

I hate doing this.

[Paul Finebaum]

That's okay.

[Caller Vance]

You, you racked long yesterday after his call. And then Brian came back with a retort.

[Caller Ken]

Too long.

[Caller Vance]

And to my hearing, Brian is the most Romanesque caller we have. And you didn't whack him.

[Paul Finebaum]

Yeah, well, yeah, listen, I don't know. I haven't listened to Jim rome in about 20 years, so I don't know. I don't know whether you can rack somebody. First of all, Rome has probably never taken the same caller twice within the hour. His standards are likely different than ours. So I don't know if you can double rack somebody.

[Caller Vance]

Well, you know, I'm just being facetious. Well, I appreciate that. I just. I just. I just wish these players think there should be more of a voice from them is my opinion. And I never hear well, but.

[Paul Finebaum]

But you're right, but that. That's the biggest problem that a lot of people have. And I think ultimately it could be the undoing of this. Protect College Forzac. Is that the players? I remember I asked Randy Levine that question, the blowhard president of the New York Yankees who's very involved in all this, and he said, oh, yeah, we've talked to hundreds of players, by the way. There wasn't a single player at the only meeting that mattered, and that was the one at the White House Fance.

[Caller Vance]

Oh, Lord, this is, you know, all this. Propositions of this and this, and I'll make money. And obviously not one ramification of what this might create. They were so unprepared for this. It's unbelievable.

[Paul Finebaum]

You are correct. Thanks, Vance. Always great to hear from you. Thanks so much. John up next in Louisville. Hey, John.

[Caller John]

Hey, good. Good afternoon. I'm still out in California, by the way. I gave John Malkamp A 12 out of 10 for exceeding expectations.

[Caller Vance]

Oh, really?

[Caller John]

Oh, he was phenomenal. I mean, he has accordions up there, fiddles, all kinds of instruments, and just. Yeah, just a phenomenal show. Ran almost three hours.

[Paul Finebaum]

I can't wait to hear more.

[Caller John]

My bucket list still includes Bob Seger, but I don't think he's coming out of retirement. We'll see.

[Paul Finebaum]

Have you. Have you ever seen. John. Have you ever seen Seger? I'm sure I'm assuming you have.

[Caller John]

I did. I. Yeah. I grew up in the Detroit area. I love him to death and just wish he'd go back on the road. I really like Burton Cummings and Randy Bachman with.

[Paul Finebaum]

Oh, I do too. I saw Seger about 15, maybe 20 years ago, and even then he was struggling to do the whole show. He had to sit down. But it doesn't matter. His voice is so great that I could listen to him anyway.

[Caller John]

Yeah. And really, Mellencamp's voice hasn't changed much. So. Paul, I really enjoyed the Jordan Poole interview. It's nice to have a Georgia analyst that does an office gate. You agree?

[Caller/Guest]

No.

[Paul Finebaum]

If I said I agree with you completely, it would be interpreted as a shot at Griff.

[Caller John]

Oh, we wouldn't want to do that. No. And your interview with Mario Cristobal felt like old times. Did it not to you? Yeah.

[Paul Finebaum]

And we have a history and he joked about it, but he's such a cool guy. I really love the guy. He was hard to cheer for for a while, but I think he is now. I mean, some. It's like anybody, whether it's entertainment or coaching, sometimes you just have to. You have to. You have to crack that wall. Thanks for the call. We're up against the break. Reese Davis from college game day. He's been out around the country interviewing the biggest names in the sport and he'll join us next. I like things my way. My coffee, my schedule and my treatment.

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[Paul Finebaum]

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[Paul Finebaum]

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[Reese Davis]

You're listening to the Paul Finebaum show podcast.

[Paul Finebaum]

Beast Davis is on tour. He's visiting with coaches and players all week. There he is with Mario Cristobal. Looks like Signetti, Texas Tech, Joey McGuire, Trinidad Chambliss. That was on this morning. And we welcome Rhys Davis. And before he did that, I was standing around a couple weeks ago, Reese, and I saw you hosting Wimbledon. I said, I know that guy. That was a pretty impressive assignment. We'll get to football in a second. But what was that like?

[Reese Davis]

It was such a treat, Paul. I mean, it was such a professional crew to do it, and there's so much history and tradition there. There were moments, certainly, that I felt as if I were, you know, translating a foreign language in my head and then trying to spit it back out in a language everyone else understood, because it is certainly a new. A new subject for me. But, I mean, the people I worked with were tremendous, both behind the scenes and on camera. And just having the opportunity to sort of soak in a venue like the All England Club was memory of a lifetime. It was. It was a lot of fun. My wife and I actually got a chance to go to center court, and we saw Arthur Ferry, the, you know, the British wild card who made the deep run in the tournament, play on center court. And, you know, so that was certainly one of those things that, as a sports fan that you'll always cherish.

[Paul Finebaum]

I mean, listen, hosting game day has immense challenges, but, you know, when you got some of the characters that are up there with you, you don't have to be as concerned. But, I mean, this is different. I mean, how? In terms of the etiquette, even dressing for the occasion. You just don't grab a blue sport coat and run out there, do you?

[Reese Davis]

Well, Paul, as you well know, I like to wear a tie when I cut my grass. I think that when we were a proper country, people dressed for dinner every night. So I actually sort of embraced all of that. But no kidding aside, I. I think the All England Club wants to be cast in a great light. So they were very open and welcoming to being able to show you what they're proud of. So. But there is. You do.

[Paul Finebaum]

You do.

[Reese Davis]

When you're out there, you think, okay, am I doing. Am I behaving properly for, you know, from a spectator standpoint? You know, am I asking the right questions? Am I walking in the right place? You know, if you went on a tour of the grounds or something? But it was. People could not have been more hospitable or nicer and we were really happy, particularly toward the end of the way the, the way the coverage went.

[Paul Finebaum]

I fully expect you and your wife to be dining at Buckingham palace next time around. Reese, let's get to, let's get to college football because you've been all over the place since you returned and some pretty choice locations. I mean, I don't think it takes a genius to figure out how you chose some of these. But take us through your, your tour over America.

[Reese Davis]

Well, we've, we've got a chance to visit with a lot of people and you're seeing Mario Cristobal there. I think we ate at Casa Cuba. We try to do something that people like to do off the field. So Kurt Signetti watch film because that's all he does. Joey Maguire has a Corvette, his second one. Great story behind that. And then Trinidad Chambers though, he's cut a lot of this stuff out of his diet after he eats on the square. One of his favorite spots to go to is that froyo shop, Yaya's. And so he made a brief exception, though I'm not sure he took more than two bites of his, of his frozen yogurt and the various treats he put in it because he's been pretty dedicated to making sure his nutrition was where he wanted it to be for the season. And then we went to Notre Dame with CJ Carr. CJ Actually hadn't even been into the new football facility there. At least on the side that we got to see was a few days before it opened and he took us on a tour and we tried out the ping pong table there. So we had a chance to both dive into football and to let these guys show a little bit of their personalities on the other side. Some other things are important to them or that they enjoy.

[Paul Finebaum]

Talking to Rhys Davis about being out there on tour, I'm particularly interested in Reese and you're, you're at all these places, you start to pick up and formulate thoughts which we're all interested in. So encapsulate your trip as well as your, your prep for the season coming up and tell us where we are as we get ready for a new season here.

[Reese Davis]

I think evaluating Indiana as a one time deal would be a significant mistake. They are brimming with confidence. I think Notre Dame, the team that I'm going to rank preseason number one and I think the favorite for the national championship, they are certainly driven by not making the playoff a year ago, but they also have so many experienced and talented pieces and a quarterback who's going to be that much better as he continues to grow and mature. And then I think you have, I think Miami is going to be good. I think all of these teams that we talked about are going to be contenders and all of the ones that we visited and you have a couple of teams who are really driven by coming up a little short last year. Different cast of characters at Miami, but I think there was a confidence gained from just making it to the national championship game a year ago that is going to fuel the Hurricanes. They don't have to worry about all of this stuff. Is the U back? Can they win big games anymore? They answered that question and they were 47 yards away from winning a national championship. So I think that's really elevated the confidence within Mario Cristobal's program. And I think that all of those, all of those are going to bear watching this year. And I think from an SEC standpoint, Paul, I would say that Trinidad Chan was his popularity in Oxford. The best way I can describe it is Manning esque. I mean, we were walking down the street and young people, grandmothers, fellow students, just dudes walking through us. They're honking horns, they're yelling at him, they're stopping him for pictures. There was one lady who said she was a grandmother and she said, you know, I'm on my way to meet my friend for lunch. And I thought that was going to be the highlight of my day. I'm going to tell her she's second now because I got a chance to meet Trinidad Chambliss and get my picture taken with him. I mean, they love him there and it was, it was a really cool thing to see. He is, he is. I've declared him the, the unofficial mayor of Oxford. I'm not sure he would want a political title like that, but, man, he is first. He's a dynamite guy to be around, tremendous kid to be around, young man. And he's really embraced the popularity and treats it with a great deal of humility and gratitude and, and respect. He's just got that winning smile that you see there. He's, you know, just a tremendous dude to be around. I think he's going to have a great season.

[Paul Finebaum]

In recent. When I saw the interview this morning on SportsCenter, I thought he'd give a thoughtful answer in relation to his former coach. But, but I'm particularly interested in the buzz about Kiffin. You'll, you'll see Kiffin the first week. The third week, there'll be a lot of Lane Kiffin conversation On Saturday morning, what did you pick up?

[Reese Davis]

You know, I think that the wound is still raw for the fans and the people around, but Trinidad and his teammates have kind of moved on. I think they. They've kind of heard enough. And look, it's going to be motivating. And as he said, you can't escape the noise of it. And particularly that week when LSU comes back to Oxford or comes to Oxford and Lane comes back, it's. It's going to be overwhelming. And which side handles it better will probably have a quite an advantage in the game. For the fans, it's raw, and they're really, really. They took great pride in being able to make a run without him, and they would love nothing better than to stick it to him. But I think for the players, you know, I think they appreciate what Lane did for them as a coach. I know Trinidad does, and so they'll have the opportunity to play. But it's, you know, competitive and it's a business, and I think they kind of understand it in that context. Most of them do. I'm, you know, it's not. It's not going to be the same feeling for every single member of the organization, but a number of. A number of people seem to have felt like, hey, look, you know, it happened. Probably didn't happen the way we would have liked. Certainly, you know, some wounds that will take a while to get over, but everybody's moving on. We were successful at the end. He's probably going to be successful. So let's. Let's tee it up and play.

[Paul Finebaum]

Talking to Reese Davis, Reese, the whole situation while you were in England, media days happened right after that. And it's this SEC Big Ten conversation, which. Which is not new, but it just seems a little more pointed. And everybody's chiming in, even. Even Urban Meyer the other day, saying that even the passion now in the Big Ten is more. I mean, it's getting to a point of ridiculousness. But I'm curious, as somebody who grew up in the south, went to an SEC school and has tried to look at college football from all sides, what do you make out of this?

[Reese Davis]

I think the Big Ten's on top right now. The SEC is deep. Doesn't mean the SEC is bad, but the SEC doesn't have obvious ultra elite teams at the moment. Now, we may be talking about it differently come November or certainly come January, but, you know, like, for instance, right now, I think you can make a pretty good case that you could rank a preseason top five and not have an SEC team in it. But then if you get five through 10 or six through 10, you're probably going to have three, maybe four in it. So it's not that the SEC is bad or that the SEC is necessarily that the middle class or upper middle class and the SEC is better than the Big Ten. I just think that right now, at this moment, as we sit here in August, it's more apparent who the ultra elite teams in the Big Ten will be than it is in the sec. And so there's some value in that. But I, you know, I do agree with the fact that the, the middle class of the Big Ten has improved, and I think that the upper class of the SEC has regressed a little bit over the last two or three years. So. But it, but there's not a chasm and it's not going to be stunning if Georgia or Texas or maybe Ole Miss, you know, takes a jump and is, you know, in there fighting for a national championship and playing for national championship.

[Paul Finebaum]

I'm curious, as you made your travels, because in the past it would be impossible to avoid a question about Alabama. Now it's not easy to get a question about Alabama being in that upper elite class. Your thoughts on the Tide as we get ready for 26?

[Reese Davis]

Well, I had a chance to visit with them in June. This was not part of the series. It was something separate. But I sensed a confidence, I sensed maybe a sense of comfort in terms of who they were as opposed to trying to live up to an unreachable standard that had been set in the past. Not that that doesn't motivate them or the standard is gone. But you have to, you, you have, you can't be chased by ghosts. And I feel like that a lot of times the last couple of years that they were, that anytime something didn't go perfectly, it's, well, it didn't used to be that way. Well, you know, that all may be true, and it is because it's the greatest dynasty in the history of college football, bar none. You know, the only surprise about the number of championships that Nick won, it would have been more surprising if he had won fewer than, you know, they had some very specific tough breaks go against him, or they might have won eight or nine. There's never been anything like what he did. It's an impossible standard to meet in this day and age in terms of winning that many championships in that short a period of time. It's not an impossible standard for them to be a contender and to be excellent. And I think that they're pretty comfortable in doing that. I think they're very confident and I think they're. I also think they're enjoying a little bit the fact that that very little is expected from them in terms of winning championships. I mean, I don't think anybody's expecting them to be 5 and 7, but I don't think a lot is expected of them, you know, in terms of winning championships. And I think they're kind of, I think they're kind of enjoying that, but they'll only enjoy it and they'll only be able to fly under the proverbial radar until the first big moment. And that's either the first big win or the first big loss. And whether whichever one of those comes first will tell the tale about the direction that things are going for for Alabama.

[Paul Finebaum]

Reese Davis talking about college football and Wimbledon and one of these days, Reese, I'm sure I'll be long gone, but somebody will introduce you as Sir Reece Davis after your many years at the All England. Great to see you. Thanks so much.

[Reese Davis]

I think we got a long way to go before that. Thanks, Paul. I appreciate it.

[Paul Finebaum]

Pleasure to see you. Reese Davis making time for us here on a Tuesday afternoon. We'll take a short break. We are coming right back.

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[Paul Finebaum]

Come back, we'll talk to. That was a great conversation with Reese. Let's check in with Rick in Houston. Up next.

[Caller John]

Hey, good afternoon, Paul. How are you?

[Paul Finebaum]

We're doing great, thank you.

[Caller John]

Paul, there was a call yesterday. I guess you had a couple of callers. They kept telling each other to keep their names out of their mouth. Oh, yeah, I'm gonna keep. I'm gonna. I'm gonna keep the names out of my mouth. But, Paul, this one guy kept calling the other guy Tinky Winky. And I'm sitting there going, what in the hell is a Tinky Winky? And so, Paul, I had to Google it. And I'll admit, man, I had some. I had some trepidation in doing so because I wasn't. I wasn't sure what I was about to see. But apparently a Tinky Winky is a Teletubby. And I mean, that. That also, you know, brings up the question, what in the hell is a Teletubby? But, Paul, what I came away with was this one particular guy had way more knowledge of Teletubbies than I think any grown man should have. What do you think?

[Paul Finebaum]

Yeah, I mean, I've heard that phrase, as I'm sure you have. I can't remember. It's been so long since I've heard it, I don't remember where I heard it, but I found the whole conversation to be lame and uninteresting.

[Caller John]

Yeah, it was, Paul. I just. I don't know. I don't know. I hadn't. I. I have no knowledge of Teletubbies, except that I've heard the word before. But, yeah, I mean, I, I think I could come up with a better insult than a Tinky Winky, but maybe that's just me. Paul, thanks for taking my call. Have a good one, brother.

[Paul Finebaum]

Thank you so much for adding that to our program. And Swamp Dog is up next.

[Caller Swamp Dog]

Hello, Mr. Paul. Thank you for taking my call today, man. Hey, I got. I got a little pushback on you today. I saw you on Sports Center And I heard what you said. Yeah. You're on Sports center and you, you're

[Paul Finebaum]

talking about, you're talking about today, right?

[Caller Swamp Dog]

Yeah. Did you say today that you, they asked you if takes who would win the sec? You said Texas, right?

[Paul Finebaum]

I sure did.

[Caller John]

Yes, you did.

[Caller Swamp Dog]

Okay, well let me, let me give you some facts and figures. You always want to talk to your callers. Why do you support your, your statement about that team that you're saying? How do you back that up? How do you back that up? What you're saying to me about.

[Paul Finebaum]

Well, well listen, I don't think anybody at this point can, can really. I mean I just simply gave an opinion, some of it. Well go ahead, why don't you. I tell you what, since I've already been on TV today giving my opinion, why don't you give yours?

[Caller Swamp Dog]

Okay. This is what I want to say to you about all that.

[Caller Vance]

Okay.

[Caller Swamp Dog]

The last time I checked, you know, in order to be the best team you got to beat the best team, Right. You want to be the man, you got to beat the man. That kind of thing.

[Paul Finebaum]

I'm not sure that has anything to do with this, but go ahead.

[Caller Swamp Dog]

When, when you compare the rosters of the two teams between Georgia and, and Texas, do you really see a big difference? I don't see a big difference in the rosters are great. Both of them are, I know they are. So there's no difference between that and you saw. You want to say, well the X factor is Arch Manning. Maybe Arch Manning is, you know, he's going to have a great year this year. That's why I say Texas is going to win and they'll be above Georgia at the end of the year. But let me remind you of this too. Paul Gunner Stockton has played against Arch Manning and beat him. He has not lost to Arch Manning yet. So I don't see any evidence to support your opinion of why you say that this week, this year will be different. They say this might be Kirby Smarts best defense that he's had since the back to back championship years. So why does this Texas team come out any better and you say they're going to do it this time? What is your. What, what makes you believe that this.

[Paul Finebaum]

Let me make this really simple, okay. You get asked a question on tv. They don't want the Gettysburg Address, they don't want some manifesto, they want the name of a school. So they asked me this morning, who do you think is going to win the sec? I said Texas. It has nothing to do with to be the man. You got to beat the man because Georgia and Texas aren't even playing with each other on the schedule. So I

[Caller Swamp Dog]

lost all three times that they had.

[Paul Finebaum]

I am. I am fairly well not be not as much as you, but I'm moderately aware of some of those games.

[Caller Swamp Dog]

Okay, yes, I know you are, but until you. I mean, why would you think that they can do it now out of the blue when they haven't been able to do it? They tried three times.

[Paul Finebaum]

Well, part of the reason, Swamp Dog, is that this is a different season than last year or the year before. And every year at this point in time, I recalibrate my thought process. And while last year may matter or may not matter, the teams are different. You are aware of that, aren't you? It's not the same team.

[Caller Swamp Dog]

Yes, I am. But I also heard this might be the best defense we've had since the championship years.

[Caller Vance]

Yeah,

[Caller Swamp Dog]

and they hadn't been able to beat us since they got in the conference in 2024. They couldn't beat us then and we didn't even have that kind of event. But now they say we do. And now you're saying that they're going to beat us anyway because of Archbishop. I suppose.

[Paul Finebaum]

You know the one thing that you have missed in this whole conversation? I never said Texas was going to beat Georgia. All I said was I am picking Texas to win the sec. Thanks so much for calling though. We look forward to carrying this conversation on. But first we have to go to a break. We are coming right back.

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[Reese Davis]

You're listening to the Paul Finebaum show podcast.

[Paul Finebaum]

We are back. And, you know, I looked up on the board after the last call and I'm thinking, how do we, how do we top the swamp Dog call? And we just did. Squirrel is up next.

[Caller Squirrel]

You know, of all the bad callers that you have, Swamp Dog is probably the worst. I mean, heaven forbid you have an opinion, which I think that's what part of when ESPN sends you a check every two weeks. Isn't having an opinion part of it isn't that.

[Paul Finebaum]

Well, that they, they do give me the liberty to offer an opinion on, like, who might win the sec. That is not, that is not on the don't no Fly Zone list.

[Caller Squirrel]

And I don't understand why that disturbed that clown so much just now. Because he, you know, he asked you a question, but he's no more interested in hearing the answer to your question. He's, he's such a hurry to tell everybody his opinion that he talks over you and all that. He's really. He's one of the more irritating callers that more irritating leg humpers that you have nowadays. And if he wants to have an interesting call, I wish he'd expound on why he got arrested. Couple times. You know, when you had jail week a couple weeks ago, Swamp Frog said he'd been there a couple times. I'd be interested to know what he did time for that. That'd be more interesting to hear what his opinion of who's gonna win the sec.

[Paul Finebaum]

So could I ask you a question, Squirrel? What do you. What if you had to guess what he served time for, what do you think it would be?

[Caller Squirrel]

Oh, my goodness. Oh, that's a good. That's a great question, I would think. Domestic abuse?

[Caller Vance]

I don't know. Robbery?

[Caller Squirrel]

I don't know. I mean, I really. That's. I'd be interested to know, to be honest with you. I mean, he's. It'd be hard to read him from. From his.

[Paul Finebaum]

Carl, I. I don't really want to defend him after that last call, but I don't think he looks like a. I think it was something like arguing with a policeman over the time of day.

[Caller Squirrel]

Well, I guess. I don't know you can get arrested for that, but if you can, I think.

[Paul Finebaum]

I think it could have been. He was arguing with somebody on the streets of. Where does he live in Valdosta or he lives. I think he Try that. I think he's on the streets of Waycross, Georgia, and he got into it with somebody over a John Fogarty lyric.

[Caller Squirrel]

If you can get arrested for it, then he probably did.

[Paul Finebaum]

I think he was telling somebody that Fortunate Son was really about George W. Bush, even though the song came out in 1968.

[Caller Vance]

But he was at the concert.

[Paul Finebaum]

Exactly.

[Caller Squirrel]

And another thing that bugs me are these clowns, like, especially that leg humper from North Alabama with the. The nasal twang who calls in bitching about deboer every day. And. But yet these guys have no solution to who they would hire or what they would do to replace DeBoer. Not that I'm for that. I mean, I'm saying, look, I think he's a great coach and I need to let him do his job. And I think the players need to step up, if anything, not the coaches. But I wish one of these clowns who come in crying and whining about DeBoer would just simply say who they would replace him with tomorrow. Nick Saban's retired. Bear Bryant's dead. I mean, I'm wondering who they think they're actually going to come in there and take them back to another eight or nine national championships. I mean, it's just really. It's just really annoying. That's why I'm glad that the season be kicking off here. In a few weeks, we'll have something to talk about other than speculation from these pony leaguers. But thanks for taking my call. I've enjoyed the show.

[Caller Swamp Dog]

Aloha.

[Paul Finebaum]

Thank you very much, Squirrel. We enjoyed it as well. Ken in New Mexico is next.

[Caller Ken]

Thanks for taking my call, Paul. Always an honor and a privilege to be on your show. As far as Swamp Dog, my money is on drunk and disorderly, but who am I to judge? But I think your answer of text is a great answer. They added some guys in the portal that were two of some of the coveted guys a year under Arch Manning's belt and they're loaded down there. They're going to be tough to beat. And in fact, I've got a Texas Circle, big Tennessee fan here in New Mexico. I'm hoping our defense will be a little better by week four and can give them some trouble down there. And here's one reason I have Texas circled is when I was knee high to a pup back about 1965, 66, where Tennesseans vacation in Florida, you know, because that's what you did. Get out of the cold and I told my daddy, try to find a hill, which is tough to do in Florida and find the Tennessee Texas game and see how bad we're beating them. Well, they whipped us like 31, 10, 34, 10 in the Cotton bowl that day. And 60 years later, I'm waiting for payback. So that's when I want it. And that's one thing I think that makes the sec, you know, hey, the Big Ten's one three straight acknowledge all that. But you know, we hold grudges longer. I'm going to say maybe there's some Big Ten grudges, but let them bring it on 60 years ago. Let's see what you got, Big Ten. And Paul, if you could help, I'm not so sure what is this legislation actually going to try to do? And when you put the government in charge of something in an insurer to

[Caller Vance]

fail,

[Paul Finebaum]

Ken, you would think by now I could answer that question very easily. But I thought the whole purpose of federal legislation was to protect various schools and conferences as well as the NCAA in litigation because that's where the. But there's so much garbage, pork would be a better word in Washington in this bill right now that the entire meaning has been lost. And I'm not a soothsayer, but I think it's headed for some trouble because they wanted to make it bipartisan, which is almost impossible today in Washington. And to get there, they have managed to tick off a number of people where this should have been a very simple, small, easy to understand bill. It is now bloated with pork. It is bloated with things that have nothing to do with the main issue.

[Caller Ken]

Yeah, Paul, I think it just shows and you know, I know we talk about sports here and love your show for that, but it just shows the dysfunction of our government and all. And like I said, I don't know. But hey, protecting the schools against litigation. Always good. Trying to level the playing field.

[Caller Vance]

Always good.

[Caller Ken]

But I think it's beyond those people in Washington to do anything about anything. I don't know if they can do that. So, Paul, what do you think about Tennessee this year? Any, any word on who's going to be the quarterback?

[Paul Finebaum]

I tell you what, Ken, let me, let me get to that. We are.

[Caller Vance]

We are.

[Paul Finebaum]

We will try to answer that, but we're up against the break. We're coming right back.

[Reese Davis]

Thank you for listening to the Best

[Caller/Guest]

of the Paul Feinbaum show podcast. Watch the Paul Feinbaum show weekdays from

[Reese Davis]

3 to 7 Eastern on the SEC Network. Plus, you can listen and watch on the ESPN app.

[Caller/Guest]

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