Hour 4: Closing out Day 2 from Tampa

Summary

The Paul Finebaum Show – Hour 3: Closing Out Day 2 from Tampa

Date: July 21, 2026

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Episode Overview

Hour 3 of The Paul Finebaum Show broadcasts live from Tampa during SEC Media Days. Paul Finebaum hosts a roundtable with Brooks Austin (film guru), Mike Griffith (Dog Nation), Justin Ferguson (Auburn beat reporter), Mike Gittins (Auburn insider), and Connor O'Gara (college football analyst). The conversation centers on shifting SEC narratives, Georgia’s status post-Kirby Smart era, Alabama’s perception under new head coach Kalen DeBoer, the mounting controversy around playoff expansion, and an in-depth look at Auburn under new leadership.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The State of Georgia Football and Kirby Smart

(00:45 – 08:47)

• Kirby Smart’s “Dean of SEC Coaches” Role:
  Mike Griffith describes Smart’s new stature at Media Days—the veteran, statesmanlike coach now leading the conference.

  • "Kind of felt like Kirby took a real statesman role today. I mean, he was introduced as the dean of SEC coaches." (01:13, Mike Griffith)

• Evolution in Coaching Style:
  Brooks Austin notes Smart’s evolving demeanor—less intensity, more patience, perhaps adapting to a new generation of athletes.

  • "He grabbed Stetson Bennett by his neck. He'd put his arm around Carson Beck. Maybe he's just gotten older. Maybe he's just got more patient." (01:51, Brooks Austin)

• Injury Attrition and Playoff Format:
  The panel discusses last season’s injuries, harsh SEC schedules, and whether the conference’s tough path is hindering playoff success.

  • "There's circumstances that come with playing a physical schedule and attrition that the Big Ten simply doesn't have to deal with." (02:47, Mike Griffith)

• Key Player Stats:
  Gunner Stockton’s clutch performances highlighted as integral to Georgia’s hopes:

  • "83% completion percentage in the fourth quarter of games. Seven touchdowns, no interceptions. 66% in the red zone." (03:57, Mike Griffith)

• Roster Holes and NIL Market:
  Brooks points out that with NIL-driven recruiting, Georgia lags in blue-chip edge rushers and elite receivers relative to schools like Texas and Ohio State.

  • "They're not a $45 million roster, Mike...these are premium positions." (04:43, Brooks Austin)

• Injuries and Portal Losses:
  Impact note: Loss of key transfers, including Amaris Williams (injury) and Dante Dowdell (uncertain status after an accident).

  • "So two of the Georgia transfers...are out. He likes these guys...this is going to be a very unified football team." (06:05, Mike Griffith)

• Wide Receiver “Lay of the Land”:
  Discussion about unproven receiver room, reliance on transfers, and an elite tight end group needing more outside threats.

  • "They really need CJ Wylan and Taylor Taylor to play like the football players that they recruited them to be." (06:54, Brooks Austin)
  • "I think they need to find an answer for man-to-man winners." (07:35, Brooks Austin)

2. Playoff Expansion and SEC Identity Crisis

(08:47 – 13:42)

• Debate Over 24-Team CFP:
  Mike Griffith and Brooks Austin dissect the debate on further playoff expansion, with the SEC resisting the 24-team model.

  • "It sounds really sexy until you consider that you're going to lose some value to the regular season when you make it easier to get into the playoff." (09:05, Mike Griffith)

• Injury Risks and Season Expansion:
  Highlighted: Playing nine SEC games and Power 4 non-cons makes SEC uniquely brutal.

  • "When you're playing this amount of four quarter games...that's the kind of depth the SEC has that no other conference in the country has." (10:21, Mike Griffith)

• Player Retention and Transfer Era:
  With more playing time available elsewhere and tampering, it’s hard to keep blue-chip backups.

  • "If you're not going to play them, somebody will. And somebody will tamper to the point where they'll get them." (11:22, Brooks Austin)

• Fan and Media Sentiment:
  Brooks relays near-unanimous fan feedback: don’t expand playoffs any further.

  • "I'm a fan of college football and...it's pretty unanimous. We don't want it no further." (11:57, Brooks Austin)

• Unprecedented Times:
  Mike Griffith closes out: regulatory, legal, and financial aspects are all in flux, making leadership tough for Commissioner Greg Sankey.

  • "The world has been shifting under our feet for the last six months...there's a lot of factors here that we've never really dealt with before." (12:42, Mike Griffith)

3. SEC Swagger, Frustration, and National Perception

(16:21 – 26:06; Connor O’Gara segment starts)

• Loss of SEC Swagger:
  Connor O’Gara senses a change in conference demeanor due to a lack of national championship appearances.

  • "It feels almost like 2010s Big Ten Media Days...the SEC has gone three consecutive years without having a team in the national championship...it's clearly a source of frustration." (16:21, Connor O’Gara)

• Spin Zones and National Narratives:
  Dismisses the idea that conference depth or injuries are valid excuses for missing out on titles:

  • "This is about what you do on that playoff stage. And in the last few years the SEC has been disappointing on that playoff stage." (17:54, Connor O’Gara)
  • "Miss me with what Eli Drinkawitz said about...non-conference play." (18:14, Connor O’Gara)

• SEC Race for 2026:
  Uncertainty and parity at the top—Georgia, Texas, Alabama all have questions.

  • "I think Texas...is going to be the pick to win the conference...and we're all going to feel really stupid when Georgia is sitting there, you know, with the confetti falling down." (20:24, Connor O’Gara)
  • "I can't sit here today and tell you, yes, I absolutely think that SEC team is winning a national championship." (21:45, Connor O’Gara)

• Big Ten Outshining the SEC:
  The panel acknowledges the narrative shift post-Rose Bowl (Indiana’s thrashing of Alabama).

  • "It was a nice win. And I'm not, you know, trying to go back and watch that game again...But the Indiana game was apocalyptic." (22:47, Paul Feinbaum)

• Alabama’s New Era and Uncertainty:
  DeBoer’s coaching prowess noted, but Alabama is rapidly being written off as an elite national brand.

  • "It was always going to be like this for Nick Saban's successor...I still think [Kalen] DeBoer is the second best coach in this conference." (23:51, Connor O’Gara)
  • "It feels like their floor is way lower than it's been. I mean they're going to be their lowest preseason ranking in the AP poll since 2008." (25:14, Connor O’Gara)

4. Auburn’s Transformation Under Alex Golesh

(29:00 – 37:17)

• Quick Impact of New Coach:
  Mike Gittins says Golesh inherited a solid base and is “all-in” from year one, building a confident program.

  • "Recruiting was probably the biggest surprise...Alex Goelish had a good base. He brought his quarterback in, brought his staff in...Auburn thinks that it's going to pay dividends in year one for him." (29:26, Mike Gittins)
  • "He said today, I think we have enough talent to win every game on our schedule." (29:26, Mike Gittins)

• Culture Shift:
  Justin Ferguson sees a shift away from “recruiting waiting games” to an immediate urge to compete.

  • "You go in and you bring a lot of the guys...that were key to your success at USF...you've got a team that wants to compete right away." (30:23, Justin Ferguson)

• QB Byron Brown’s Role:
  Both analysts praise Brown’s mentality and fit as the program’s face.

  • "Alex Golich told us...he has a fear of not being elite...that's why you bring him in." (32:52, Mike Gittins)
  • "This is a guy who is a face of a program...So much confidence." (33:42, Justin Ferguson)

• Auburn’s Early Schedule Advantage:
  Brown’s experience sets Auburn up for early-season matchups against less proven QBs.

  • "I'm taking Byron Brown versus any of those three guys right now." (34:17, Mike Gittins)

• Defensive Foundation & DJ Durkin:
  Retaining DC DJ Durkin provided needed stability; many players stayed because of him.

  • "Says a lot about Durkin that he really wanted that head coaching job and he decided to stick around...Players saw that." (35:51, Mike Gittins)
  • "This has been one of the better defenses in the SEC the last two years." (35:04, Justin Ferguson)

• Path to Relevant Success:
  Auburn’s defense kept them competitive in 2025; with an average offense, they could break through for eight wins.

  • "If our defense holds serve and Alex Golish can give us average to better than average offense, we're going to be right back in this thing." (37:04, Mike Gittins)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Kirby Smart’s leadership shift:
  "Kind of felt like Kirby took a real statesman role today. I mean, he was introduced as the dean of SEC coaches." (01:13, Mike Griffith)

• On playoff expansion and fan fatigue:
  "We don't want any further expansion. So just there's the retort and the feedback that I got. Well over 400 responses on social media..." (11:57, Brooks Austin)

• On SEC “spin zones”:
  "People care about championships and the fact that the SEC has gone three consecutive years without having a team in the national championship...It's clearly a source of frustration." (16:21, Connor O’Gara)

• On Alabama’s shifting identity:
  "It feels like their floor is way lower than it's been. I mean they're going to be their lowest preseason ranking in the AP poll since 2008. It's pretty undeniable." (25:14, Connor O’Gara)

• On Auburn’s readiness under Golesh:
  "You go back and you look at the schedule last year, once they got to Oklahoma, there were four straight losses. The worst loss in that bunch was Georgia, 20 to 10." (36:33, Justin Ferguson)
  "If our defense holds serve and Alex Golish can give us average to better than average offense, we're going to be right back in this thing." (37:04, Mike Gittins)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Georgia and Kirby Smart State of the Program: 00:45 – 08:47
• Playoff expansion debate & SEC realities: 08:47 – 13:42
• Mid-show: Connor O’Gara on SEC perceptions: 16:21 – 26:06
• Auburn segment (Golesh, Brown, Durkin): 29:00 – 37:17

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Episode Tone and Style

The roundtable feels candid and analytical, blending the deep, passionate investment of longtime SEC insiders with a touch of self-aware humor and media-industry skepticism. Panelists don’t shy away from pointing out the league’s vulnerabilities and are especially tough on “spin zones” that undermine credible analysis.

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Summary

Hour 3 of The Paul Finebaum Show delivers a nuanced, sometimes tough-love assessment of where the SEC and some flagship programs stand. Georgia faces another year of high expectations but plenty of attrition and unproven skill players. Alabama’s brand mystique has faded with Saban’s retirement, and national confidence is shaky under Kalen DeBoer. The war over playoff expansion is fierce, with the panel voicing clear skepticism about further bloat to 24 teams and pointing to fan unrest. Auburn, meanwhile, is a rare positive case—a program re-energized by an immediate-impact new coach, a high-character quarterback, and unusually strong defensive continuity. The underlying question for all: In a new world of expanded playoffs, free player movement, and NIL-fueled roster churn, can anyone reestablish SEC dominance? The answer, for now, is unclear.

Transcript

[Meta Glasses AI]

Introducing Meta glasses.

[Brooks Austin]

You have questions.

[Connor O'Gara]

They've got answers.

[Justin Ferguson]

Hey, Meta, what's the capital of Peru?

[Meta Glasses AI]

Lima. How do you say where's the restroom in Spanish? Donde esta Alvano? Hey, Meta, is a hot dog a sandwich? Technically, no. Spiritually, yes.

[Connor O'Gara]

Hey, Meta, what should I do with my life?

[Meta Glasses AI]

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

[Connor O'Gara]

Ask anything with the new Meta glasses.

[Paul Feinbaum]

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

[Connor O'Gara]

This might be college football.

[Host (Paul Feinbaum Show)]

And we welcome all of you to the final hour on this Tuesday. We are in Tampa, in case you were wondering. SEC media days, busy day. A lot of conversation about Georgia, of course. And that's where we go next with Brooks Austin, the film guy, and Mike Griffith from Dog Nation. Kirby Smart's always the center of attention when he shows up here. Mike, what did you learn today?

[Mike Griffith]

Kind of felt like Kirby took a real statesman role today. I mean, he was introduced as the dean of SEC coaches. It's the first time you could say that. And he talked a lot about what a veteran coach should say. Brooks. Then we got a lot of coach speak out of Coach Smart today. And the one question that was legitimate, I must say, was about the receiving core. And Kirby Smart reminded everybody that he's still Kirby Smart. He didn't shout the guy down, put him in his place and said, I'm glad you said that because now we're going to motivate these guys with your words.

[Sponsor Voice]

Yeah.

[Brooks Austin]

I think it's funny. He and his predecessor, Nick Saban, are classic. If it's. If you say something good about us, that's rat poison. If you say something bad about us, hey, that's fuel. Thank you. Thank you for giving me that.

[Connor O'Gara]

Right.

[Brooks Austin]

And that's exactly what he did today. But, Mike, I don't know about you and Paul, I don't know about you, but I feel like he was far more laid back than he normally is in these situations. And I think I've seen that trend in him as a football coach. You know, like he grabbed Stetson Bennett by his neck. He'd put his arm around Carson Beck. You know what I mean? And I think. I don't know what's happened. Maybe he's just gotten older. Maybe he's just got more patient. Maybe that's the way new players relate to coaching. Maybe they don't need that stern moment of coaching. But he seemed a lot more laid back today.

[Host (Paul Feinbaum Show)]

It also a lot of conversation or a little Bit conversation about last year and the year before in the Sugar bowl. And, you know, he talked about the layoff and he said, you know, where else does that happen? But we already knew that. And I just wonder. I realize you have to talk about what we saw last, but when is Kirby Smart going to move on from that? You know, getting the first round by. And losing a Sugar Bowl?

[Mike Griffith]

Yeah, well, when he can keep his team healthy. And I don't know if that's going to happen now. You know, we've added another game in the sec. It's already a physical conference. And if Georgia plays in yet another SEC championship game, what would be what, the eighth time in the last nine years they're playing an extra game. And, you know, by the time that Ole Miss game ended, there's five starters out. Now, Kirby's not using it as an excuse, Brooks, but you're losing. You're missing your center, you're missing your rush end, you're missing a starting safety. A backup goes in there, blows an assignment. You know, that center makes an errant snap, gives Ole Miss 7. I mean, it is what it is. There's circumstances that come with playing a physical schedule and attrition that the Big Ten simply doesn't have to deal with in their schedule.

[Brooks Austin]

No, that's completely fair. And even if you go back to the 2024 Sugar Bowl, I mean, their dag on quarterback blew out his elbow in the SEC Championship game. Starting quarterback goes out. Gunner Stocks has got to make his first career start against Notre Dame's defense in 2024. That was elite. I mean, it was really, really good at getting after things. So, no, I mean, the attrition and you. I mean, Gabe Harris's loss in that Sugar bowl was massive, too. So, yeah, you got to stay healthier. But it kind of goes against his point about the layoff.

[Mike Griffith]

Like, Right, right.

[Brooks Austin]

You got an extra month to get healthy, you know, so. No, it's interesting. He's got to get over that, though. They got to get past that.

[Mike Griffith]

And the scary in Brooks is that, you know, last year the margin for error was very thin. You remember Georgia had to come from behind. And those seven SEC wins, they came from behind in six of them. And here's all. Gunner Stockton did 83% completion percentage in the fourth quarter of games. Seven touchdowns, no interceptions. The guy, 66% in the red zone passing. He's got 17 touchdowns, no interceptions, five of seven on fourth downs. Can Gunner Stockton replicate those clutch performances just to win another SEC title, much less get to the playoffs. So you're going to need another marquee performance from Gunner Stockton who, oh, by the way, Paul lost five of his top six pass catchers from a season ago and that's why the question came about the receivers explosivity.

[Host (Paul Feinbaum Show)]

Yeah, I don't know, it's kind of hard to feel sorry for Georgia Brooks if you ask me.

[Brooks Austin]

No, they, they got pretty much everything except for elite edge rushers right now, guys who can get after the quarterback and wide receivers. Okay, Elite first round type wide receivers. And it's no coincidence in my mind that those are two of the more expensive positions nowadays. Those are premium positions. And I don't think Georgia, they're not a lesser than, don't get me wrong, don't quote me wrong here, but they're not a $45 million roster, Mike. And what it causes or what it creates is you do have some holes. Whereas like you look across some of these teams in the conference and I don't think there's a hole on Texas's offense. No, if there was, they got plugged by plenty of great football players, all conference football players all over the place. That costs a good bit of money. So I don't think there's any coincidence that I don't think Kirby will set precedence for paying five stars more than starters on his current roster. I think he's been very open about that. And as the market continues to rise in the nil world, like you might have to come up off of that if you're going to get a five star edge rusher. And Lord knows they need one right now. I mean there's one in their backyard in DJ Jacobs at Blessed Trinity. And where is he committed right now? Ohio State. So these things are kind of showing up and I don't mean to demean what Quintavius Johnson is or Gabe Harris at the edge rushing position. I also think they made an effort at this in signing Amaris Williams out of the transfer portal and he blows his knee out.

[Mike Griffith]

He's out with a knee. And then we find out today we'd heard rumors of this Paul Dante Dowdell, a really talented guy coming. It really looked good in the spring game. I thought impact player, 6, 2, 2, 25 agility pass.

[Brooks Austin]

Can you go?

[Mike Griffith]

Gets in an accident back in Mississippi and now we don't know about his status. So two of the Georgia transfers and Kirby didn't take a lot of transfers, a lot of the was spent on retention. He likes these guys. He likes them a lot. This is going to be A very unified football team. The defense is going to be nasty, but they did lose two of the potential impact players that they signed through the portal. So again, I know nobody's feeling sorry for Georgia. I get it. Kirby always finds a way. It's just assumed that they're going to be there. But at the end of the day, they've got to stay healthy just like everyone else. And they're going to need Gunner Stockton to have another really big special year.

[Host (Paul Feinbaum Show)]

And speaking of Gunner, every Georgia fan that I run into said, what's the deal with the wide receivers? I mean, you get deep into the weeds on this.

[Brooks Austin]

Give us the lay of the land at wide receiver. It's a lot of betting on Isaiah Canyon, the transfer from Georgia Tech, but they really need C.J. wylan and Taylor Taylor to play like the football players that they recruited them to be. Okay, that was the highest tandem of rated wide receivers that Georgia had signed since 2019 when they signed George Pickens as a dominant Blalock. Like there is no coincidence. There's no hiding it. Like those two football players have to be really, really good if George is going to be good enough at wide receiver, Lord knows they're good enough at tight end. I don't know if there's a room deeper and better in the country at tight end than what Georgia has, but you know, we still have to have a dominant player outside. I think they need to find an answer for man to man winners. Like they're going to get blitzed up a lot on short yardage situations on third down like they did last year. Everybody blitzed them and played man to man. Or they rushed three and drop eight. And the answer in man to man last year was quick and easy. It was Zachariah Branch. They're going to have to find that this year. Who is the guy? Consistently when we get blitzed up and pressured up, apart from Gunner scrambling, who is a guy? Is it Elijah Williams?

[Mike Griffith]

They got an alien playing tight end lies. You know, kid, 6 foot 7, bro, he made some great catches.

[Brooks Austin]

100%. Could be. But like getting a tight end open takes a little bit more time. And it's normally like because they're build speed guys, they're not now guys. And the really twitched up. I can get space right now. Guy is way easier to hook up with on third down than hey, we're going to run the tight end on a vertical and he's going to outrun the safety or jump over the safety at the end. That's not a high percentage Play, you know what I mean? So that's the. I think early on it's probably going to be London Humphreys. And I know that's not a name nationally that everybody's like, oh, he's elite. But they have elite rapport together, right? Look at 4th and 6 against Tennessee. They hook up and guess what? Tennessee's playing man to man coverage and blitz in the quarterback. So that's the answer, Paul, that I'm going to be searching for as an analyst is like who is the go to guy when they think they can cover you?

[Host (Paul Feinbaum Show)]

Griff, let me get a little bit away from the weeds and just kind of talk about some of the things you've alluded to. The nine game schedule, the, you know, the uncertainty with the cfp, the whole college football world. I mean you're plugged in so many different places. What give us a or try to encapsulate this moment in time, especially for the sec.

[Mike Griffith]

You know, the SEC is kind of the holdout right now for the 24 team. All right. You know, Greg Sankey and his staff, they've done the research on the 16. They got real comfortable, got real cozy with the idea in the Big Ten says no, really want 24. Now ACC and Big 12 are saying, hey, we kind of like this more of our teams in the playoff, more relevance. We're on board with that too. But they've got to figure out the value of these playoff games. You know, where is the monetary incentive to maybe punt the SEC championship game, which by the way is contracted to 2031. Is ESPN on board with this? I mean you got a television partner here, you have a contracted game, you've got Army, Navy. And if you're going to play these extra games and you're still going to try to get the season over with by what January 8th or 9th is this new bill is is suggesting. So there's a lot of potential issues with going to 24 teams. It sounds really sexy until you consider that you're going to lose some value. You can't, you can't escape this, folks. You're going to lose some value to the regular season when you make it easier to get into the playoff. And the games we're watching in November, are they still relevant? Right? Paul, we saw where they got rid of the cupcake games in November.

[Host (Paul Feinbaum Show)]

Now they're the first weekend.

[Mike Griffith]

Yeah, first week you got to play. Hey, when you're playing a nine game SEC schedule and you also have to play a Power 4 opponent, which the SEC does and the Big Ten doesn't. By the way, your kids are going

[Connor O'Gara]

to get beat up.

[Mike Griffith]

When do you get the backups in? When do you get the twos and threes, the reps, to keep them on your roster, much less develop them. So when you're playing this amount of four quarter games, everybody loves it, everybody digs the sec. What did you have a Texas A and M team, got off to an 110 start, beat the worst team in the league, Arkansas by three points. That's the kind of depth that the SEC has that no other conference in the country has.

[Host (Paul Feinbaum Show)]

And Brooks at depth. And you both have alluded to it. I mean, it feels like Georgia is in the best position, but in this new world, is anybody really in a good position?

[Brooks Austin]

No. And Paul, I think you and I talked about this at the SEC championship this year where, you know, Georgia's dealing with a banged up center and I think Alabama was dealing with some banged up football players as well. And I think it was LT Overton, the starting defensive end. And the point I made at that point was like, hey, five years ago, Jamari Sawyer goes out in the SEC championship game. They just rolled Roderick Jones in there at left tackle. A former five star that had been sitting on the bench for two years. Yeah, guess what? They ain't sitting for two years no more.

[Host (Paul Feinbaum Show)]

Right?

[Brooks Austin]

That's just not what's happening. If you're not going to play them, somebody will. And somebody will tamper to the point where they'll get them. You know what I mean? And that's where we are in college football nowadays. I do want to say something, Paul, because I know Commissioner Sankey listens to your show. I know for a fact he don't listen to mine, so I'm gonna get this off right quick. He said in his opening statement that he cares to listen to the opinions about college football fans and media member, or maybe not members, media partners about potential expansion. I'm a fan of college football and I talk to fans of college football all the time. It's pretty unanimous. We don't want it no further.

[Host (Paul Feinbaum Show)]

We don't.

[Brooks Austin]

We don't want any further expansion. So just there's the retort and the feedback that I got. Well over 400 responses on social media because I put it out. I was like, hey, he wants your opinion. What is your opinion? Unanimous.

[Mike Gittins]

They're good.

[Brooks Austin]

They're good at 12, maybe 16, certainly not 24. And for all the reasons that Mike

[Host (Paul Feinbaum Show)]

put out, he is listening. He just texted me and he said, tell Brooks when I want his opinion, I will ask. It checks out. No, you're right. And I think we all, I do think he's aware of what people are saying. He's very conscious of what the fan and especially the media.

[Mike Griffith]

And I feel like Greg Sankey's trying to do what's in the best interest of college football in addition to the sec. He serves the sec, obviously, as the commissioner, but I feel like he really does. And you see Greg Sankey and he's really painted into a corner. There's only so much that Greg Sanke can do here. He's got to represent his president's athletic dresser and coaches. But at the same time, he has to be conscientious of what's in the best interest of college football. And like Brooks said, kind of keep the pulse of the fan, keep the pulse of the media partners. So as much as people want to come down on Commissioner Sankey because things aren't just perfect right now, it's not a perfect world. The circumstances we're dealing with, they're unprecedented, Paul. I mean, the world has been shifting under our feet for the last six months. In college football, I cover the sports business, be it the Atlanta Journal Constitution constantly. By the time I get one story up, something else changes. And then we got the judges in the courtrooms and okay, college football solved it, you know, but there's a judge in some small state that decides something otherwise, and where's the precedent for that? So there's a lot of factors here that we've never really dealt with before.

[Host (Paul Feinbaum Show)]

Guys, thank you very much. Really appreciate Brooks and Griff. We are heading to a break. We still have 45 minutes. A number of guests, including Connor O' Gara will join us next. We'll talk about Auburn as well and who knows what else as we wrap it up.

[Paul Feinbaum]

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[Paul Feinbaum]

You're listening to the Paul Feinbaum show podcast.

[Host (Paul Feinbaum Show)]

Have you had enough, Tony? We've only been on since 7am well, we have a prime time special coming up. SEC now will all be part of the show in an hour and 40 minutes. And you will hear some things that you have not heard yet. And I see Connor see Connor snickering on that as we are back in Tampa, Florida, Connor o' Gara joining us. Connor, good to see you again. And you've covered a number of these media days. We're halfway home and I'm curious because I've got a distracted view of it all doing some of the things that I do. What have you honed in on so far that has moved you?

[Connor O'Gara]

This feels almost like 2010s, Big 10 media days. This feels like a conference that once used to be able to show up to things like this and flex in ways that were pretty undeniable because when you're winning championships, you can't argue against that. And then all of a sudden you start talking about how strong your depth is and you start talking about, oh, well, you know what, this team should have been in the playoff and you know, we need to be able to get more sympathy from the selection committee because of strength of record. And you know, at the end of the day, nobody cares about that. People care about championships and the fact that the SEC has gone three consecutive years without having a team in the national championship. I'm not sure if you've heard this, but it is clearly a source of frustration. And I do think that the SEC is going to continue to puff its chest about most teams in the playoff and this and that we care about championships and this is a results based business. And seeing kind of some of the spin zones, you're reminded that, you know, if you're not winning, you're not going to look particularly good. And now everybody's kind of taking aim at the sec.

[Host (Paul Feinbaum Show)]

Yeah, I'm really glad you pointed that out because, I mean, I've read various descriptions of things that have been said here and you know one I read earlier talked about the SEC just seems not to have the same swagger. It's hard to tell sometimes when you're up here, but when you hear friends, colleagues, officials talk about, well, the SEC is deeper, does that mean anything?

[Connor O'Gara]

No.

[Host (Paul Feinbaum Show)]

Okay.

[Connor O'Gara]

Because the Big Ten used to make the case, hey, look at Wisconsin. Wisconsin is the fourth best team at the conference. They would beat the SEC's fourth best team. We forget about that stuff. Nobody cares. This is about what you do on that playoff stage. And in the last few years the SEC has been disappointing on that playoff stage. And I think that there are different ways to look at it. I know Kirby Smart has gone pretty in depth about the different reasons. Miss me with what Eli Drinkawitz said about how all the through last three national champions, they've certainly benefited from not playing a power conference team and non conference play. You think that it's really going to be that different if Indiana had played instead of playing Old Dominion, if they had played against tcu, you think Indiana just doesn't win a national championship? Like what are we doing here? I mean that's ridiculous logic if we're going to come back to that. Ohio State had the most expensive roster in the country in 2024 and it got a lifeline from the 12 team playoff. Let's be honest, it got into the field and dominated in the way that it should have from start to finish. This wasn't. Oh man, they played against Bowling Green. That's why they won a national championship. If that's our logic. I mean, let's just give up all takes. Let's just mute coaches when we when it comes to talking about this stuff because they have no idea what they're talking about. They're just looking for spin zones. So to me, like it's a mixture of a lot of things of why the SEC has not been able to sustain dominance. You could point to the depth and all the stuff with the transfer portal and nil that's impacted that. How about the fact that the coaching has been good enough? We've got six new faces in the SEC. I mean it's six of 16 programs have new head coaches. That's probably part of it. All these, all these guys in the preseason that are highly touted quarterbacks, a certain Arch Manning that you talked about once or twice haven't lived up to expectations. The quarterback play usually kind of dictates whether or not you're going to win a national championship. So it's a variety of things that have gone into it but you see the SEC coming up with these spin zones. Like, wow, it's our depth, you know, it's. That's the reason we're not winning at all. It can't be the reason that you're winning all those national championships and then also the reason that you're not winning those national championships. So I'm a little exhausted with some of the spin zones.

[Host (Paul Feinbaum Show)]

Yeah, we just had a guest who was, you know, talking about all the injuries that Georgia had last year. And I'm like going, we're talking about Georgia here. Try, try doing that from a different perspective. And I think you're right. Which begs the question of what you have seen so far and, you know, you know, the whole league because you've been talking to people for months about the upcoming season. Do you see that, that dynamic changing with some of the top teams in the sec?

[Connor O'Gara]

I think that Georgia has the ability to get to a national championship. Can they win one? You know, I think an underrated thing they were just talking about, you know, Brooks and Mike were talking about, you know, having that, that, that stud on the outside that they can throw the ball up to. And if you look back, the last, like 15 years of national champions have had a first round pass catcher or like a guy that's a top 40 pick in the NFL draft. I don't know that Georgia has that necessarily. So, like, that's a, a real question that I asked. But I think in the sec, I look at a lot of teams that could be like 7 and 2 in conf play. I think Texas, by the time we leave here at SEC media days, is going to be the pick to win the conference. Like to quote L.L. langley, we're choosing Texas. I can doubt like we will. And we're all going to feel really stupid when Georgia is sitting there, you know, with the confetti falling down.

[Host (Paul Feinbaum Show)]

Like how you john party from your repertoire.

[Connor O'Gara]

Langley's hot in the streets. We got to keep up with the times here. But like, it is. It is so. I mean, it's so repetitive. And we're probably going to do the thing where we assume Texas has the ability to win a national championship. I don't know if Will Muschamp is going to be great with all those different pieces. We have so many questions about the contenders at the top. We haven't even gotten to Alabama yet. This could be Brent Venable's best team yet, but the schedule is so difficult. So, like, to answer your question, I can't sit here today and tell you, yes, I Absolutely think that SEC team is winning a national championship. Then again, I was saying that the last few years. So maybe this is exactly what the SEC needs.

[Host (Paul Feinbaum Show)]

No, I agree. And I thought, you know, the stat that, you know, back to what we were talking about a second ago, you know, sec, this, this sec, that the SEC has failed against the Big Ten. Yeah. And that's the, that's the stat that I think you have to pay attention to.

[Connor O'Gara]

It's. I mean, it's reality. If we were still talking about, you know, those two conferences not having any of these big time meetings or something like that.

[Mike Gittins]

Okay.

[Connor O'Gara]

And the paths are independent of one another, but that's not the case. I think what happened in the Rose Bowl, I think that mattered. I think that was really significant to watch that Indiana program do what it did to Alabama, knowing that Alabama, you know, a few weeks earlier is there in the SEC championship and they're. Kaylin DeBoer is sitting there in the postgame press conference, like, begging for a spot in the College Football Playoff saying, hey, we're going to be a better team if we're healthier. And to their credit, they won that game at Oklahoma. I thought Alabama still deserved to be in the College Football Playoff. Losing like that in historic fashion against that Indiana team, I think it just kind of changed the way that people feel about this dynamic.

[Mike Griffith]

Yeah.

[Host (Paul Feinbaum Show)]

And I've heard people today, and you've heard them as well, say, well, you know, how can everybody be critical? I mean, Alabama won a CFP playoff game on the road that got wiped out by the Indiana game. I mean, you just. It was a nice win. And I'm not, you know, trying to go back and watch that game again. It was too chaotic. But the Indiana game was apocalyptic. I mean, I've covered Alabama my entire career. I've never seen anything like it.

[Connor O'Gara]

Is there a team in college football right now that has more narratives available than Alabama? I don't think there is.

[Host (Paul Feinbaum Show)]

No. And what I find interesting is nationally, and I dip my toe into those waters occasionally. They are fading from a relevant story. They are still mentioned, but they're not there with Texas or Georgia.

[Connor O'Gara]

Not in the preseason, though.

[Host (Paul Feinbaum Show)]

No. And that could. I mean, that changes quickly or can change quickly. And, you know, seeing Nick Saban here tomorrow probably won't help that.

[Connor O'Gara]

Yeah, it was always going to be like this for Nick Saban's successor. And it doesn't even matter that Nick Saban.

[Host (Paul Feinbaum Show)]

Saban here, he's not speaking from the podium, but he will be sitting right here.

[Connor O'Gara]

Yeah, I'M sure that'll be brought up once or twice, twice the side by sides. And it was always going to be like this for for Alabama in a post Nick Saban world. I think that Kaylin Deborah I still think he's the second best coach in this conference and I might be in the minority by saying that because the guy is 18 and 5 against AP top 25 teams in four seasons as a power conference head coach, he's 8 and 3 against the top 10. The fact that he is 71 against the likes of Kirby Smart, Dan Lanning, Steve Sarkeesian, that matters. It should matter. But Alabama lost four games last year and they need to be more competitive in these games in which they just look lifeless. That's a real thing. I just gave you like three different narratives and one explanation of Alabama.

[Host (Paul Feinbaum Show)]

Yeah, all those things are turning. He's also 1 and 2 against Brett Venables and oh and 1 but avenged the two losses.

[Connor O'Gara]

So he does get that in his back pocket.

[Host (Paul Feinbaum Show)]

Oh and one against Mike Norvell. And there are a lot of things that back to your original promise. The Alabama it's like a chain letter just keeps going because there's always something else to throw in there.

[Connor O'Gara]

If Alabama is all of a sudden just irrelevant in college football, it will be because this 2026 season Keelan Russell isn't the guy.

[Host (Paul Feinbaum Show)]

Right.

[Connor O'Gara]

Ryan Grubb will have failed as a year two offensive coordinator Kane Wommack will have failed this defense which has a lot of talent, maybe the best secondary in college football and we will all of a sudden be going why did Greg BYRNE Give Caleb DeBoer that new extension? Why do you do that? I don't think that'll happen. I think that the schedule has a really good path to 10 and 2 and I think it's more of a ramp up for 2027 and what they could retain. And if you look at the way they recruited in the portal, if you really want to get into the weeds, it's kind of like a two year plan it seems like but man, it feels like their floor is way lower than it's been. I mean they're going to be their lowest preseason ranking in the AP poll since 2008. It's pretty undeniable. Like what are they going to be in the predicted order, finishing the SEC like fifth, sixth? I had them at six.

[Brooks Austin]

I mean no, no better.

[Mike Gittins]

Yeah.

[Connor O'Gara]

And I think that's going to be really tough to kind of to figure out and Alabama fans may be struggling with that a little bit.

[Host (Paul Feinbaum Show)]

Great stuff, Connor. Thank you. Appreciate it very much. Fantastic segment as we head for the final 30 minutes. We are live in Tampa.

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[Paul Feinbaum]

You're listening to the Paul Feinbaum show

[Host (Paul Feinbaum Show)]

podcast and let's talk about Auburn because they have certainly been a great topic since Alex Goish walked in the door. And two people that know the lay of the land well, Mike Gittins and of course, Mike. First of all, let's just start with you. So interesting to think about what Alex Goisch has done in such a short period of time.

[Mike Gittins]

Yeah, I think that recruiting was probably the biggest surprise for a lot of Auburn fans. It was the only thing that Hugh Freese had to hang his hat on. And so fortunately for Auburn, Hugh didn't leave the cupboard bare on the talent end. While there was some talent that went out the door, there was a lot of talent that stayed Paul. And you know, Alex Goelish had a good base. He brought his quarterback in, he brought his staff in and he's brought a system in. And Auburn thinks that it's going to pay dividends in year one for him. I think we heard some clues to where Alex Goelish really thinks his team ceiling is at in year one. He said today, I think we have enough talent to win every game on our schedule. It got snuck by a lot of people that he said that. But you know, when you feel like you have one of the best quarterbacks in America, which is what he said about Byron Brown, I got to think you think your ceiling is pretty high.

[Host (Paul Feinbaum Show)]

And Justin Ferguson, it's just been so interesting to watch the transformation. You're there every day. What have you seen?

[Justin Ferguson]

Yeah, it's a team that feels like and a coaching staff on down that feels like they're ready to win right away. I think one of the things from the last era of Hugh Freese is that he was so recruiting based and it was like, okay, wait till my recruits get in. When you go in and you bring a lot of the guys, both coaches and players that were key to your success at usf, why you got this job, you've got a, you've got a team that wants to compete right away, maybe not make it to Atlanta, maybe not, you know, make it to the playoff. But at Auburn you just got to win more games than you lose for the first time in quite some time. And that that would be the big difference maker and I think also with goal is that he knows he's done it before. You go look back at usf, they won four games in the three years combined before him. He gets them to a bowl every year. And then obviously when he was at Tennessee with Josh Hyple, you know, immediately comes in and pays dividends and they have one of the best offenses in America very, very quickly. So that's the kind of success and kind of, you know, step forward that Auburn needs. And it's a huge reason why John Cohen decided to pull the trigger on him and bring him in. And you got to hear and see some of that kind of excitement today from these guys.

[Host (Paul Feinbaum Show)]

And Justin for a couple of days as that was happening, there was so much conversation about Summerall because I think we all assumed he was going to be the next coach. It didn't seem, I mean, I know that will come up when these two meet early in the season in Auburn, but it seems like that dissipated pretty quickly.

[Justin Ferguson]

Yeah, it did. And I think both, both Auburn and Florida were, you know, in positions where they think the right coach can take what they've got right now and win quickly. And that's why Summerall made a lot of sense. That's why Goelish would have made sense of Florida, especially with, you know, him having that success at usf. Yeah, it really dissipated quickly. But you know, it's Auburn's SEC opener, it's Florida's SEC opener against each other, you know, under the lights and Jerden Hare, it's going to be an incredible atmosphere and that's going to be, that'll get back into focus again because I really thought both Auburn and Florida couldn't have gone wrong with either guy. And so that's what's going to make not only this first game that they have against each other and hopefully they'll have more, but their tenures moving forward. It's going to be really, really fun to compare and contrast because I think Goelish and Sumrall both went about their year ones in very different ways and it's going to be fun to see that contrast.

[Host (Paul Feinbaum Show)]

And having Hypo up here yesterday, it seems there's no loss for Goish up there, but that's a game hypo like, why do I have to face him in new and stable? Let me ask you about Byron Brown because I mentioned to you off the air that I met him today and you guys know him I had not met him until today. Just an air about him that was just so likable.

[Mike Gittins]

Yeah. You know, Alex Golich told us this offseason he has a fear of not being elite. He wants to be elite at everything he does and if he's not there, he's gonna do whatever it takes to get there. So when you get a kid like that who's willing to do the little things, the day to day things to be great, the stuff that nobody sees. Paul. Right. But it pays dividend. You can't quantify it in stats, but it will pay dividends in the fall. That's why you bring them in. Everything I've ever heard about Byron Brown seen about him says that he allows goal is to be able to focus on implementing his system rather than managing personalities or managing off the field things. Right. They've got a core base on offense that they feel like they can, they can start fast with. And it starts with Byron Brown.

[Justin Ferguson]

Yeah. And I think with Byron, one of the things you saw today is this is a guy who is a face of a program. Like he is going to be the guy who's going to. He had so much confidence. That was kind of the big word today with Gollish about him. Just so much confidence. Not arrogance, not cockiness, but just confidence that he belongs at this level. This is his last season of college football. He's going to do it with the coach that took him from a fourth stringer to one of the best quarterbacks in the country and he's going to get to do it at Auburn and he wants part of his legacy, and rightfully so, to be. He wants to be the quarterback to help get Auburn back. And that's what makes him, I think, a perfect representative today. And he did, he did extremely well.

[Mike Gittins]

Yeah, Justin, you know, I don't think enough people are talking about Byron Brown versus the quarterbacks he's going to duel against in those first five games. Vanderbilt is potentially starting a true freshman quarterback. Tennessee is potentially starting a true freshman quarterback. Baylor's got DJ Lagway who left Florida and now is that Baylor you're going to face off against him. If you're sitting here today, I'm taking Byron Brown versus any of those three guys right now. So you've got three of your first five games where Alex Golish has his guy and potentially has an edge at the most important position on the field on offense in the first five games.

[Host (Paul Feinbaum Show)]

Finally so much was made out of DJ Durkin and what he did in a short period Time. What, what does he mean to this team?

[Justin Ferguson]

Oh, everything.

[Mike Gittins]

Consistency. Yeah.

[Justin Ferguson]

And you hear today a guy like Champ Anthony, you know, he's been three seasons at Auburn, last two years, he's had really bad injuries and hasn't been able to finish the season. Pretty much anybody else in his spot would have gone for a reset elsewhere. So you asked Champ Anthony today, why are you still here? It's DJ Durkin. It's because they believe in this defense. This is a that side of the ball that is recruited really well. They've got a foundation of guys that are going to be, you know, kind of the key to this defense this year that Dirk has recruited. They retained. Yes. They lost guys like Kay and Lee and Jake Crawford and you know, Keldrick Faulks in the NFL now you lost some key guys, but there is a foundation that, you know, this has been one of the better defenses in the SEC of the last two years. And Alex Golish thought it was a no brainer as long as DJ Durkin was willing to keep him around and a lot of players stayed because of it.

[Mike Gittins]

Says a lot about Durkin that he really wanted that head coaching job and he decided to stick around in light of not getting the job. Players saw that. They said, our coach is sticking by us. He's not bailing on us, he's in this with us. It was a message that was sent from him to his players. I'm here with you till the end. And I don't know if there's anything more important in college football than consistency year over year. Especially in coaching, when you have successful coordinators, they leave and they take other jobs. And we know there were other schools that came for DJ Durkin. He feels like Auburn's a special place. That's where he wants to continue to build. And what they were building last year was a defense that didn't give up 24 points to anyone until Vanderbilt, that was game nine.

[Host (Paul Feinbaum Show)]

Yeah.

[Mike Gittins]

So if they can continue that sort of production on defense and they get any better on offense, Auburn is looking at maybe an 8 win season for the first time in a long time. Justin, I got to tell you, when you go back and you look at the schedule last year, once they got to Oklahoma, there were four straight losses. The worst loss in that bunch was Georgia, 20 to 10.

[Justin Ferguson]

They lost seven games last year. The most was by 10.

[Host (Paul Feinbaum Show)]

They were in a great spot.

[Justin Ferguson]

Yeah, yeah. You just be average on offense, especially in the red zone. It's a.

[Mike Gittins]

You win two games maybe. Right, right. But every single one of those games was winnable. I I think that Auburn thinks if our defense holds serve and Alex Golish can give us average to better than average offense, we're going to be right back in this thing.

[Host (Paul Feinbaum Show)]

Thank you guys. Really a pleasure talking here. Two two of the best Auburn people around, Justin and Mike Ron Slay will join us to wrap it up.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Thank you for listening to the Best of the Paul Feinbaum show podcast. Watch the Paul Feinbaum show weekdays from 3 to 7 Eastern on the NCC network work plus you can listen and watch on the ESPN app

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