Hour 4: Your Calls

Summary

The Paul Finebaum Show – Hour 4: Your Calls

Date: August 7, 2026
Host: Paul Finebaum (ESPN)
Main Theme: Open phone lines hour featuring live caller conversations on SEC and college football themes, coaching philosophies, playoff structure, team preview debates, and personal reflections from longtime listeners.

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Episode Overview

Hour 4 of The Paul Finebaum Show exemplifies the program’s unique blend of insightful discussion, passionate SEC football analysis, and heartfelt moments with diehard fans. This episode revolves around callers weighing in on conference realignment, college football playoff formats, team prospects, the evolving nature of coaching, and the legacies of big personalities like Nick Saban. Notably, several conversations also venture into deeper, more personal territory, confirming the show's role as a touchstone for its close-knit community.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. College Football Playoff Format & Conference Dynamics

[00:56–01:42]

• Caller's Suggestion: Charlie from Tennessee proposes a new playoff format where each major conference holds its own tournament, preserving “conference pride” and revenue.
• Paul's Response: Paul acknowledges the logic but points to the complexity of past deliberations and recent issues—particularly Notre Dame’s exemption status. Paul says, “This year they may have gone backwards by giving Notre Dame this exemption, but you raise a really good point.” (01:42)

2. Predictions: Texas vs. Ohio State / Texas' New Look

[02:20–03:20]

• Caller Rhett presses Paul for a Texas vs. Ohio State prediction, referencing two consecutive OSU wins.
• Paul admits to a prior prediction misread: “One of the worst predictions I made all year last year…was involving that game.” (03:20)
• Current Take: He leans Texas, calling this team “completely different” and “in a much better spot this year.”

3. Nick Saban’s Retirement: Context & Legacy

[04:02–08:32]

• Ray explores the ‘Saban ran from change’ narrative, asking if the grind wore him down.
• Paul’s Analysis:
  • “He is relentless. The only thing he did that summer before his final season…he took his family to Italy. That’s the first time…” (04:53)
  • “To me, the signal that Saban was close to retirement…was when he bought that…17.5 million dollar mansion in Jupiter [Florida].” (05:07)
  • Paul cites NIL headaches and the daily grind as factors, recounting a story of Saban’s stoic handling of player demands.
• Memorable Moment: Ray tells an epic “coffin” story from the 1982 Birmingham ice storm, ending with: “My uncle popped up and asked the doc, ‘Can you give me something for this coffin?’” (08:31)

4. “Participation Trophy” Era & Championship Value

[10:46–13:41]

• Johnny B laments a shift in college football: “We went from two days 14 going to 24. There’s, there’s really like just a participation trophy going on…” (11:49)
• Coaching Matters: He stresses true coaching still separates top teams and is skeptical of softer new-school styles.
• Paul Counters: “You hear this, ‘It’s never been more wide open.’ That’s not true…It’s a pretty finite group of teams.” (12:10)
• *Call concludes with concern over Alabama’s direction and sentiment that, “If we’re adding more, we’re taking away from the value that, you know, that being in the championship should be.”

5. Personal Reflection & The Power of Forgiveness

[13:41–19:49]

• Emotional segment: Caller ‘Common Sense’ thanks Paul for providing a platform to express and process forgiveness related to a family matter after a prior call.
  • “You gave me a chance to do something that I never got a chance to do in 50-plus years…it gave me the courage to forgive people.” (16:20–18:07)
  • “Anyone that’s listening, if they want to see what that means, look it up…to say someone is a good soul is a lot deeper…” *
• Paul’s Response: Sincerely moved, Paul reflects on the impact such conversations have on both host and community.
  • “I mean, there’s so many examples of that in life where you’re walking and you wish you had done something…I know how difficult it is to do some of the things you have done.” (17:18)

6. Oklahoma, Kentucky, and Team-by-Team Outlooks

Oklahoma Preview

[21:23–23:47]

• Victor: Concerns about Oklahoma’s offense, especially after last season.
• Paul: “I just think that schedule is too daunting…Georgia, Texas, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, at Missouri…even if they've answered a lot of the issues from last year, that is a...and I didn’t even mention some of the other games…” (22:06)

Kentucky Optimism

[23:59–26:01]

• Calvin: Bright outlook on Kentucky with new coach.
• Paul: Enthusiastic about Will Stein, but cautious. “Stoops won 10 games a couple of times, that to me is out of reach…Seven wins would be on the high side of what I see with this schedule.” (25:50)

7. Quarterback Battles & Bama’s Outlook

[26:47–29:07]

• Nick from Chicago: Expresses concern over Alabama’s recruiting, especially on the lines and the QB race between Mack and Russell under DeBoer.
  • “Those kind of days [Saban’s sideline rants] are gone…Coaches are successful without doing that.” (27:21)
  • Asserts Russell should be the QB over Mack.
• Paul: “He has recruited incredibly well. He’s been a top three recruiter his last couple years… The question isn’t so much his recruiting…It’s the decision making and the overall philosophy about the portal.” (29:07)
  • Expresses confidence in Alabama winning 10 games due to an easier early schedule but notes QB race could go either way.

8. Miami’s Trajectory & Cristobal’s Redemption

[31:47–32:58]

• Russell from San Diego: Miami fan anxious after near-misses last year.
• Paul: Gives a strong endorsement.
  • “I really like Miami, I think, and I’m a big fan of Mario Cristobal…Thought last year was a major turning point, and I see a serious playoff team. They could be a very high seed.” (32:28)

9. Where Is ‘Legend’?

[34:14–35:47]

• Thomas from Georgia asks about frequent caller ‘Legend,’ who’s been absent since Media Days.
• Paul: “It’s a mystery…The social media absence is perplexing…we are waiting to hear more. He was the most talked about caller on this show and now he is missing.” (35:47)

10. Realignment: Oklahoma & Texas Join SEC

[36:07–37:38]

• George from Texas: Reflects on fan reactions to Oklahoma and Texas joining the SEC, noting only Texas A&M was “publicly against.”
• Paul: “No question when the story first broke…A&M was against it…There were four schools initially who were threatening to block it. To the commissioner’s credit, by the end of the weekend he had ameliorated all those bad feelings…” (37:38)

11. Lane Kiffin, Coaches on the Hot Seat, & LSU’s Future

[38:10–40:52]

• Charles from Georgia: Skeptical of Lane Kiffin’s ability to develop top QBs at LSU. Wonders about fan patience.
• Paul: “If LSU wins eight games or nine games…I don’t think the fan base is going to turn. But…if they went six and six…” (39:16)
  • Recalls Kiffin’s history of wanting to leave Ole Miss for bigger jobs, “He pulled the ultimate Lane Kiffin move, leaving a team in the middle of a playoff run.”
  • Notes Pete Golding’s stabilizing impact at Ole Miss during Kiffin’s departure.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Caller, Ray: “Could it be, Paul, that he [Saban] was just tired?” (06:25)
• Paul Finebaum: “I think the grind of nil played a role. I think he got sick and tired of having to deal with players in a way that he had never done it…even on his final trip…Saban probably, probably still considered throwing the kid off the plane.” (05:28)
• Caller, Common Sense: “You gave me that opportunity. And all these people that call and talk about you being a good person or a good man, stuff like that, it goes deeper than that. I would say that you’re a good soul…That’s the best you can say about someone.” (16:40)
• Paul Finebaum: “Sometimes you are…You don’t think clearly when you’re doing what I’m doing and you don’t listen closely…It gives me a warm feeling to hear you express that.” (17:18)
• Nick (Chicago): “[With DeBoer], the concern is the line of scrimmage...not getting those horses...especially on the O line which is obvious. They can't run the ball.” (27:55)
• Paul Finebaum: “A lot of schools have five star quarterbacks and I don't know what the percentage is on their development. But in DeBoer’s case, it’s pretty critical.” (29:07)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Playoff structure & Notre Dame exemption: [00:56–01:42]
• Texas vs. Ohio State/Paul’s prediction: [02:20–03:20]
• Saban retirement/NIL commentary: [04:02–08:32]
• Modern coaching & "participation trophy" era: [10:46–13:41]
• Caller on forgiveness and impact of the show: [13:41–19:49]
• Oklahoma team analysis: [21:23–23:47]
• Kentucky optimism/schedule realism: [23:59–26:01]
• Alabama recruiting, QB competition: [26:47–29:07]
• Miami playoff potential: [31:47–32:58]
• 'Legend' caller status: [34:14–35:47]
• Oklahoma-Texas SEC realignment reactions: [36:07–37:38]
• Lane Kiffin/LSU coaching risks: [38:10–40:52]

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Tone & Community Atmosphere

• The hour flows conversationally, blending sharp football analysis with genuine, sometimes emotional exchanges.
• Callers and Paul interact with mutual respect—even amidst debate—underscoring the show's reputation as both a sports call-in forum and a community gathering place.
• The host’s thoughtful, patient engagement—especially during personal or emotional calls—is especially notable.

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For Listeners Who Missed the Episode

This hour is a true “Best of Finebaum,” offering a window into the passions, debates, and personalities at the heart of SEC fandom. You’ll find insights into playoff logistics, preseason hopes and skepticism around key teams (Texas, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Alabama, Miami, LSU), and evolving views about coaching and the student-athlete experience. Above it all, the humanity of both host and callers shines through, touching on everything from football philosophy to the power of forgiveness.

Skip to segments of interest using the provided timestamps, and you’ll get the week’s most meaningful arguments, memories, and moments straight from the callers and Paul himself.

Transcript

[Announcer]

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[Paul Feinbaum]

Football Hour has arrived. We appreciate you being a busy show with a number of guests. Let's get right back to the calls and Charlie is up next in Tennessee. Hello Charlie.

[Caller]

Thank you for taking my call. I appreciate you. Thank you. This one just want to jump in, give you something to think about. Why do they not take the playoffs in a reverse way? In other words, have a 16 playoff in the SEC and the other big four? That gives you 24 teams. It keeps the conference title and it also keeps the TV money in the conference. But then that would allow you to either take the top four, take the top eight, take the top six and then get two from the group of five. But it sure would allow you to have the games at least keep the conferences playing each other. What do you think?

[Paul Feinbaum]

Yeah, I understand what you're saying, Charlie. I don't have a great answer for why they have chosen to do it the way they did. They went through an endless number of variables and simulations and this is how they decided to do it. The one thing with each year they have found the flies in the ointment. They've corrected a lot of those. I think this year they may have gone backwards by giving Notre Dame this exemption, but you raise a really good point. Thank you for your call. Appreciate it. Let me check in with Rhett who is up next. Hey, Rhett.

[Caller]

Hey Paul. How are you doing? I've been a long time listener and it's actually nice to talk to you, but I've lived in Alabama my whole life and I'm a lifetime Ohio State fan. Don't. It's a long story and you know, I got a 15 year old daughter who grew up as like pretty much a saving baby. You know, she's got, she's lived under that lure of Nick Saban. And I just want to ask you what's your prediction for Ohio State in Texas this year in Austin prime time? It's going to be loaded. And I just want to know what you really think? Because Ohio State beat them two years in a row. Pretty much. And I just. Do you really think Steve Sarkeesian can beat them once for all?

[Paul Feinbaum]

Yeah. Rhett, thank you very much. I will tell you one of the worst predictions I made all year last year and there were plenty was involving that game. Thanks for the call, by the way. And I, I think Texas today would be beat Ohio State. The game's still four weeks off. A little bit hard to tell on what could or could not happen. But I think this Texas team is completely different than last year. And I think, I mean the game looked like a four touchdown loss. It was only one score game. I think Texas is in a much better spot this year. Ray is up next. Ray, good afternoon.

[Caller]

Hey, buddy. You know, I think Swampdog had a really good call today. I think he's exactly right. I think the Alabama fan base wants their coach to be somebody he's not. You know, I heard some more commentary about our buddy Nick Saban yesterday, Paul. I think it was yesterday or the day before and it's a narrative I wanted to address with you today. And that's this idea that Nick Saban ran from the changes in college football to end a retirement. You know, Paul, I consider you, compared to me you're a pretty busy person and you know, forget the year to year grind of what Nick Simon did for 17 years.

Do you think you could keep up

with him his final season at Alabama?

[Paul Feinbaum]

No, I don't. He is, he is relentless. There's never, the only thing he did that summer before his final season that was different than anything else he had ever done is remember he took his family to Italy. That's the first time he's ever done anything like that. To me, the signal that Sabin was close to retirement and you may have heard me say this is when he bought that house down in Florida. He had already owned a lake house in Georgia. He had owned another house on the Gulf Coast. But when he bought that, I think it was 17.5 million dollar mansion in Jupiter. It told me he and his wife had said, okay, we're now looking past my final season. I don't think he was certain it was that year. I think the grind of nil played a role. I think he got sick and tired of having to deal with players in a way that he had never done it. But even on his final trip when the rumors were that the player accosted him about what was he going to get, Saban probably, probably still considered throwing the kid off the plane, as opposed to most coaches cowering to whatever a player asked for.

[Caller]

Well, here's. Here's where I come in at. Could it be Paul, that he was just tired?

[Paul Feinbaum]

Yeah. Ray.

[Caller]

Years old, 72 years old.

[Paul Feinbaum]

You've worked a long life. At some point, this goes for everybody. You come to a conclusion that why are you working? And usually the most obvious answer that most people will have is, I'm working so I can either support my family or try to save some money so I can be in a better position when I retire.

[Caller]

Meaning him, because I have to.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Yeah. He wasn't doing that. He had made not to get into Saban's economics.

[Caller]

He made.

[Paul Feinbaum]

He missed a lot of money early on, and he had some issues in Louisiana. Let me assure you, his last five years at Alabama, he made up for it because he made some really shrewd business deals and the money was just metastasizing.

[Caller]

Let me ask you a quick question. Weren't you in Birmingham in 1982?

[Paul Feinbaum]

I sure was.

[Caller]

Do you remember the ice storm?

[Paul Feinbaum]

Most certainly I do. Oh, yeah. It was the worst of all time.

[Caller]

You know, we were trying to bury an uncle during that ice storm. And, you know, we were carrying this. I was Paul Bearing, you know, we was carrying his casket down to the hearse and we slipped on the ice in front of the church and his casket hit the ice, hit the stairs, and it went down, went past the hearse and across the road and through the glass front of a pharmacy and hit the desk of the pharmacist. And it opened up and my uncle popped up and asked the doc says, doc, can you give me something for this coffin? Have a good weekend, buddy.

Thank you.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Thank you. By the way, that was one of the worst. The entire city was shut down for about a week. It was that bad. I still remember it. Would like to forget it. That's a funny story. Why don't we take a break? We're in the final hour of the week. I think most of you can figure that out. We'll be right back.

[Announcer]

You're listening to the Paul Feinbaum Show Podcast. Shohei Ohtani's interpreter was fired today. Ippei Mitsuhara ran up gambling debts to

[Paul Feinbaum]

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[Caller]

He was absolutely bananas. The amount of bets he was making. I've never seen you like it.

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[Paul Feinbaum]

2025 season has arrived. And you'll get a season Preview straight ahead, 7:00pm Eastern. Johnny B. Is up next.

[Caller]

Hey, Paul, thanks for taking my call. Some things that I still just, you know, I was away from October to just a few weeks or last week or whatever. But anyway, some things since catching up on the show and then yesterday that guy blew my mind with the SEC thing. I'm like, is it one word, two words, what are we going to do now? You know, but it's like Jamari, I think Jamar said, you know, they're big tens, no more longer 10. Everything's crazy. But that kind of tripped me out. And then growing up, you know, you're a little bit older than me, but we always grew up with these cigarette ads and everything. And now I know who the Marlboro man is. That his pictures on here and it's Vance. Did you realize? I saw his picture and I'm thinking Vance was the Marlboro Man. No wonder he doesn't have to do anything anymore. He's just sitting around being cool, cussing his cat out every now and then. And then things are going good for him. But earlier today, that guy, the Arkansas guy, being so down on his team, that kind of tripped me out because, you know, football's kind of become like the used to be the mvp, the captains and you know, they got the trophies. Now everybody gets a trophy. We went from two days 14 going to 24. There's, there's really like just a participation trophy going on but there's probably five to 10 teams that have the talent to win it this year. Do you, do you agree with that?

[Paul Feinbaum]

Yeah, it's not, I mean, you hear this. Well, it's never been more wide open. That's not true. Not true at all. It's very, it's very. Now last year we had an outlier. I don't think we'll have one this year. But it's a pretty fine art group of teams.

[Caller]

And I think what gets me is saying that is, you know, if your talent is equal, your coach is usually the factor that makes it the whole difference. And you know, all these guys have been coddled their whole life and you know, afraid they'd leave whatever high school team and even now they'll bolt once you get on to them to go to another team. But somewhere along the line, you know, coaching has got to come back because if you have talent, you're a young man. I mean, my God, they got a million things on their mind and they're getting paid money. But it's going to be interesting to see the Auburn thing and what they're doing and you know, versus Alabama and ice cream cones. I just, I can't get into DeBoer's coaching style. I just think the Sabin raising cane and getting on people's butt and being very detail oriented, something we don't need to overlook and it'll all pan out. But I just, to me, if we're adding more, we're taking away from the value that, you know, that being in the championship should be. But I hope we do good. And you know, like you said on some shows, this is the Boar's year unless he gets Burns 70 million dollar thing. So we're kind of hung with him. We'll have to see how it goes. But anyway, thanks for taking my call and I hope you have a good weekend.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Thank you, John. Appreciate it. Common sense is up next. Good afternoon.

[Caller]

Hey, Paul, how you doing, buddy?

[Paul Feinbaum]

We're doing great.

[Caller]

Good, man. Haven't talked to you in a while. I don't know if you remember my last phone call with you. I called you about the, the, the situation that happened with my sister a long time ago.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Oh, yeah, I do remember.

[Caller]

Yeah. And, and I just want to comment, trying to call you back a while and haven't been able to get through. But anyway, I got through today. I'm just sitting here. I was doing some work and I just went turn the TV on and you were on there and I dialed the number and I got it So I want to tell y', all, thank you for calling, for taking my call, but I wanted to tell you something. I know you're not the kind of person that sits back and looks for acclimates, and I know that. And I think people that listen to you and see you, they know that

you're a fun guy.

You want to be there to have fun. And it's a, it's a talk show to have a lot of fun. Some of it gets serious. I understand that too. But I just wanted to tell you when the last time I talked to you, you gave me a chance to do something that I never got a chance to do in 50 plus years. And you know, it's hard to forgive people who have done you a wrong. But way I believe, believe you don't get into heaven with hate in your heart. I just, you know, I believe that and I believe you have to forgive people when it gets to that kind of situation. You have to forgive people who have done you wrong and, and that's, it's just hard to do. But you gave me a chance to do that. You gave me a chance to say something. My best friends in 50 years, I have not been able to talk to them about this stuff. And you gave me a chance to do it. And you also gave me a chance to forgive other people. You gave me that opportunity. You woke me up, I guess, when you gave me that chance to talk. And I want to thank you for that. You gave me the opportunity to do that. And all these people that call and talk about you being a good person or a good man, stuff like that, it goes deeper than that. I would, I would say that you're a good soul. And anyone that's listening, if they want to see what that means, look it up. Because we're saying someone is a good soul is a lot deeper than saying they're a good person or they're a fun person or they're this or that. That, that's, that's. Is. I think that's the best you can tell. You can say about someone that they are a good soul. And when I, when I say that, I don't mean to just be saying it, just, just saying it just for the heck of it. If you think about it, what it means and where you are, you could have easily just cut me off when I was talking that day. But you didn't. And you sat back and you listened. And the word, the comments that you had after that also added to it. And I just want to tell you thank you and I would love one day to shake your hand. I've never really cared about shaking people's hands. I've never, I've never thought about it. I shook hands with a governor in Louisiana when I was about 10 years old, Governor McKiffin, and I don't remember him. It was, it was like, it was like a big deal for me. I was a little 10 year old kid or whatever, you know, and it was a big deal. But I don't care to shake hands with people. I don't, I don't, I don't look at it to be that great. But I would love to one day, you know, shake your hand and just tell you, you know, that I appreciate what you did.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Well, first of all, I hope that happens. I can't thank you enough because, you know, common sense, sometimes you are. You don't think clearly when you're doing what I'm doing and you don't listen closely and you also don't think about what you just laid out. I mean, there's so many examples of that in life where you're walking and you wish you had done something. So I do feel fortunate that we had that conversation and it ended up the way it did because it just gives me just such a warm feeling to hear you express that because I know how difficult it is to do some of the things that you have done.

[Caller]

Yeah. And you know, the call right after that, I think it was Swamp Dog, he took the crowd call, I think was. That's who it was. My phone, my TV stuff got deleted off my tv, so I can't go back and look at it. But I think with someone like that, and what he said was, he said, wow, Paul, you put me on behind that, man. I don't know what to say, you know, so you can see that he was a genuine. And what he was thinking also, you know, he could, you could tell. So, you know, it tells you that these people that call your show, there are some jerks probably, there's some jerks that call sometimes, but the majority of people that call yourself good people, if you really sat down and talked with them for a long time, you'd find out they're really good people, you know, so that, that meant a lot to me. That, I mean, you, you don't know. That actually gave me an opportunity to forgive other people that, you know, that did me wrong. But, you know, you can sit back and say, hey, they did me wrong and they gonna have to come to me. No, that ain't, that ain't the way it works, you know? So it gave me an opportunity, gave me the. It gave me the courage and opportunity to. Because it takes a lot of courage to forgive people, especially when they do you wrong, you know, but you did that. You did it that day when you took that call and you listened to that call. You gave me that opportunity. So I want to thank you and I hope one day we get a chance to shake hands. Maybe at one of these ball games or something, I can say hello to you and shake hands with you.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Well, thank you. Thank you very much. I really appreciate from the bottom of my heart what you said. And you be well. And I look forward to that day very soon.

[Caller]

Thank you, Powell.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Thank you. Thank you very, very much. Why don't we take a quick break, think about what he said and we will be back for the final 30 minutes of the week.

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[Paul Feinbaum]

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[Paul Feinbaum]

We are back. 30 minutes remaining. South Carolina, last school in the SEC to open up camp, which they did today. Let's check in with Victor in Ohio. Hello, Victor.

[Caller]

How you doing, Paul? Great, great. Thanks for taking my car.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Thank you.

[Caller]

Yes, I'm. I've been a big Oklahoma fan for years and I hear things about the defense. I know that defense should be good again. The offense I know was hurt us last year and a lot of turnovers from the quarterback and all that, but I hear things like the office would

be a lot better.

I know we got a tight end that was Missing in our office for a few years. We used to have great tight ends. So do you think we are really a national contender this year? That's my question to you, Victor.

[Paul Feinbaum]

I, I have my doubts and I don't mean to be a hater, but I just think that schedule is too. Is too daunting. And it's not even the Michigan game, which I think is winnable. It's at Georgia, Texas, Ole Miss, Texas A and M, at Missouri. I mean, there's just an endless number of games that Oklahoma is going to have to get by. They have the toughest schedule in the sec. And even if they've answered a lot of the issues from last year, that is a. And I didn't even mention some of the other games that could be. I mean, it's just, you know, it's almost. If anything goes haywire, they're not going to be able to finish that schedule.

[Caller]

Yeah, it is a tough schedule. You too, you write about that. Yeah.

[Paul Feinbaum]

I mean, I thought it was interesting on Monday of media days, everybody's buzzing about the Sooners and by the end they were voted, what, seventh in the sec. Is it a disconnect or is it the reality of that schedule And a little bit of caution on John Mattier? It's a lot of those things. But the good thing about Oklahoma is that Michigan game will answer a lot. Now, I'm not telling you Michigan's a top 10 team. They're not, but they're a legitimately upper division team in the Big Ten. And if Michigan can go on, if Oklahoma could go on the road and win that game, it will tell us a lot about the makeup of this team. Thank you for the call. Appreciate it. Let's check in with Calvin in Kentucky. Hello, Calvin.

[Caller]

Hello, Paul. First time caller.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Thank you.

[Caller]

Yes, sir. What do you think about Kentucky and the new coach? I think a lot of people underestimating them this year.

I think they're actually going to have a really good season.

One of the best Kentucky's ever had in their history.

[Paul Feinbaum]

I mean, I am, I'm sold on Will Stein and I think after that, you just have to watch and see how the season unfolds. I think that Alabama game is a tremendous opportunity. It's going to be rabid. They're playing a team that plenty of question marks revolve around. And if they can get off to a quick start and I think they can have a really good season now, can it be a record season? I mean, stoops. Stoops won 10 games a couple of times that, to me, is out of reach.

[Caller]

You think they try to reach us here?

[Paul Feinbaum]

I mean, I think they're capable of having a good season. But you know what's good? Seven wins.

[Caller]

Well,

eight wins would be good with

me, but I'm pretty sure some of

the talent he's recruiting, he's had to start from scratch. I mean,

[Paul Feinbaum]

I'm going to go through the schedule here for a second because that's the only way to do it. I'm going to myself. I'm going to count the losses that I see. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. I think seven wins would be on the high side of what I see with this schedule without some pretty massive upsets.

[Caller]

Yeah.

I mean, if they come together, I think they could maybe pull out eight or nine out of this.

Okay, well, listen, I've seen some of the talent play before.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Well, Kevin, I don't doubt that. But here's the key to doing what you just laid out. They need certain teams to have rough years. Is Missouri going to be as good? Is South Carolina going to be? So there's a lot. There's a lot of what they call 50, 50 games. And if Kentucky can win some of those 50, 50 games, I don't think they're going to win at A and M. There's. There's some places I just don't think they have a chance, but they do have a chance at home. Thank you for the call. Really appreciate it. The optimism in early August is always great, and that's what it should be. Let's continue with more phone calls here, and Nick is up next in Chicago. Hey, Nick.

[Caller]

Hey, Paul.

Thanks for taking my call. Great show.

My.

My question or kind of commentary regarding. First, I want to start off with Coach DeBoer at Bama regarding, you know, some of the callers and their concern about his demeanor, him not being a Nick Saban clone and, you know, yelling and screaming on the sidelines. There's not, in my view, there's not a lot of coaches out there anymore, you know, with, you know, like, Coach Saban would be up 40 to 8 with 8 seconds left in the fourth string in and him throwing his headset on the ground.

Those.

Those kind of days are gone. You know, Signetti's not on the sidelines, you know, ranting and raving and whatnot. So there's. Coaches are successful without doing that. It's, you know, it's kind of old school in the past, but. So I'm not so much concerned with Coach DeBoer regarding that but some of my concern is starting with even the recruiting rankings and the transfer portal rankings. I just feel like at the line of scrimmage is where, you know, on the show in the Rose bowl obviously when they got manhandled. He's just not getting the talent level in house, whether it be through the portal or even just recruiting. You look at the rankings and whatnot and he's just not getting those horses there on both sides, especially on the O line which is obvious. They can't run the ball. So that's one big concern. I'm not sure if it's, you know, nil related or it's just, you know, for whatever reason he's not getting what he needs to get the line of scrimmage. But also then looking forward to this season, I'm not sure what's going on at the quarterback position regarding Mack versus Russell. In my mind, you know, it should be a no brainer. Russell should already have been named the starter and I know Max coming in from Washington, where Deborah was at and that's his guy or whatnot from from there. But to me it looks like Russell's the guy and he's going to need a guy like Keelan Russell to, you know, take over the reigns if in my view, if they're going to have any success offensively. So want to get your view on in the quarterback competition. Also, what is, you know, going on regarding, you know, again the line of scrimmage and him not just getting what's needed because I just feel like, you know, it looks like secondary is going to be strong, you know, receivers and some of the skill positions are looking pretty good. But why he's not able to get those horses on the line of scrimmage again. I'll hang up and listen to your answer. Thanks for taking my call. Great show as always, Paul.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Thank you. Nick. You've just identified one of the debates that goes on at Alabama and he has recruited incredibly well. He's been a top three recruiter his last couple years. Now this year a lot of people are trying to make a judgment. It was always going to be a small class. The question isn't so much his recruiting, which is superb, it's the decision making and the overall philosophy about the portal. He has been very careful. I say careful, but he missed out on some key players last year that were essential. Hollywood smothers, Cam Coleman, players like that who Coleman. Maybe not as critical because you've already got elite receivers, but he's still the most valuable skill position player in the portal. He didn't go after a quarterback that we're aware of and he's rolling the dice on these two guys now. You know, every time you say so and so's a five star quarterback. A lot of schools have five star quarterbacks and I don't know what the percentage is on their development. But in DeBoer's case, it's pretty critical. And we saw what he did with Michael Penix. He, he went to the national championship game and it played well to Ryan Grubb's offense. There's a concern that DeBoer is playing somewhat safe by leaning toward Austin Mack. I don't think that's been determined yet. I think we'll have a pretty good indicator after this weekend and next when we start getting some intel on the scrimmages. But the good news for Alabama, and I'll say this for the final time, the schedule is not that problematic early on. Kentucky, Alabama will be a favorite and shouldn't beat Kentucky. They don't really, they have time to play around. Even if he decides to start Austin Mack the first two or three weeks, he can still get Kelon Russell in there. He doesn't want to push Keelan Russell. So, I mean, that's a debate that's going to ramble on. If you gave the fans the vote, Keelan Russell would win overwhelmingly. I mean, I don't see a problem. I know some people are saying you're missing the boat on South Carolina, Florida State, Mississippi State. Now. I could be. I don't think I am. I think Alabama is capable of winning 10 games this year. I think they, they have a schedule that with a couple of breaks that means is Tennessee a little less potent than they were? Is LSU maybe done by November? Can A and M be beaten at home? A lot. A lot of question marks on that. Let me check in with Russell in San Diego. Good afternoon.

[Caller]

Hey, how's it going, Paul? Thanks for taking my call.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Thank you.

[Caller]

I'm in San Diego, but I'm from, from Florida, from Miami. So you know where I'm going with this. I'm coming off the loss last year. I mean, I didn't even think we'd get there. But you know, watching those games in the playoff, I was terrified. I mean, I'm like shaking in my boots every single game. I was hoping we didn't have to play Ohio State.

We did.

Then I was hoping we didn't play Ole Miss. And we did. You know, the Indiana game wasn't, wasn't our best mark but what do you. What do you think for us this year? I'm kind of scared almost. But what are you thinking for us this year? Again, thanks for taking my call.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Thank you, Russell. I really like Miami, I think, and I'm a big fan of Mario Cristobal. I know sometimes it's, you know, he's made some inane decisions, but I think that's over now. I thought last year was a major turning point, and I see a serious playoff team. I think they legitimately could be a very high seed in the playoffs. We'll take a break. Still a few minutes remaining here on a Friday afternoon.

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[Caller]

Yeah.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Welcome back. Few minutes remaining on this week. Thomas is up next in Georgia. Hey, Thomas.

[Caller]

Hey, Paul. How are you?

[Paul Feinbaum]

Hey, Paul. Thank you.

[Caller]

Just curious. What happened to Legend? I hadn't heard from him in a while. I know about the incident at Media

Days, but he deleted his Twitter account

and I just hadn't heard him on your show in a while. Just.

If I hadn't already said something, I apologize, but.

[Paul Feinbaum]

No, no, it's a. It's a mystery. I talked to him about two weeks ago and he told us that

[Caller]

he

[Paul Feinbaum]

was trying to figure out what he wanted to do in terms of the incident. I have not heard from him since. And you're right. The social media absence is perplexing and I really don't know any more than that. I wish I did.

[Caller]

Is he going to call your show again?

[Paul Feinbaum]

I don't know. I mean, in my world I would like to see it all go away and have him return to the show and go back to doing all the things he was doing, the things that I don't know about. He had a connection to this other show, as you well know. And I think therein lies may be the holdup. Like he may be waiting to come back here until some of these other issues are clarified. But I don't know that specifically. So I'll continue to say the same thing that I have been saying that we are waiting to hear more.

[Caller]

I gotcha.

Okay.

Paul, thank you so much. I appreciate it.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Thank you. Yeah, no, it's a, it's a question. I get a lot of places like what happened to Legend? It wasn't like he was a shrinking violet. I mean he was the, the most talked about caller on this show and now he is missing. Let's continue with more phone calls and George is up next in Texas. Hey George.

[Caller]

Hey Paul. I hate to end your week on low hanging Fruit, but typically when the conversation circles around Texas A and M, that's just what it is. Your call. Earlier, Chris from Houston, and I'm assuming he's an Aggie alum or Aggie fan, mentioned Cole Hudson in a fifth year. Well, it is a true fifth year and as you know, we've got sixth, seventh and eighth year players as of recently, Cole Hudson did start 12 games as a true freshman at left guard just because of the attrition that Stark had inherited. Then he started 13 games over the following three years. Look, the NCAA made a ruling. He falls in that category. Move on. But what's interesting about this is to me, if this is an Aggie fan, when Oklahoma and Texas were announced that they were going to be joining the sec, I live in Texas. I traveled to Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi Monthly and it was amazing. The fan base that knew me would encounter me and say, oh man, we can't wait for Oklahoma and Texas to join. That's another W. And whatever sport we're going to be playing, you guys in, in that column and the only fan base that was not participating in that was A and M. And I would tell those guys, go ask A and M why they are publicly against Texas and Oklahoma joining the SEC and you'll get a version, their version and it's probably the true version. But just your thoughts on that. The fifth year look true Fifth year guy he will be. This is his fifth year on campus. And then the A and M outlook on Oklahoma, Texas joining the SEC and the others. Leave it to you Paul to end the week.

Thanks.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Thank you, George. Yeah, there's no question when the story first broke five years ago at media days, A and M was against it. They had some support too from other schools. I think there were four schools initially who were threatening to block it. To the commissioner's credit, by the end of the weekend he had ameliorated all those bad feelings and we all know we what happened after that. Hey, thank you very, very much for the call. Let me check in with Charles in Georgia. Hey, Charles.

[Caller]

Hey, Paul. Paul, you mentioned a few minutes ago that Alabama did not have a five star quarterback, correct?

[Paul Feinbaum]

No, no, I said, I said they do have a five star quarterback, but they're not the only one who has a five star quarterback waiting in the wings.

[Caller]

Yeah, well, let me tell you who does not have one. Lsu. And how is Lane Kiffin all of a sudden going to develop some master quarterback people that he's got down there now? I just don't see it happening. And I want to know your opinion. What do you think the reaction is going to be in Baton Rouge if they have a flop and go six and six his first time out or what kind of pressure will that put on him in the future? What do you think, Paul?

[Paul Feinbaum]

Well, Charles, I mean back to the quarterback, he'll just go out and dial up another one like he always does. But if, I mean there's a range, if LSU wins eight games or nine games, depending on how it goes, I don't think the fan base is going to turn. But if I don't even know how to explain what the reaction would be if they went six and six.

[Caller]

Well, you're right. Absolutely. And Paul, I'm somewhat of an Ole Miss fan and I always, never really trusted him to really get us over the top. I always felt like some flop was, was just, you know, just a few plays from happening or some of this fourth down gambling from his own 25 or 30 wasn't going to work and it was going to be a big disaster. And I think that's possible in Baton Rouge.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Well, well, Charles, I never, I mean, and by the way, when every time I went to Oxford I would talk to the fans and they were all in and we would jokingly say he's going to break your heart. I didn't have any inside information other than the fact that he nearly went to Auburn Three years ago he wanted to go to Florida. He was painting after the Alabama job, so that told me. And by the way, all you have to do is read his bio to know that he was going to leave Ole Miss. Fans believed in him. We had McGee on earlier who talked about what he told him in that documentary, which I kind of took with a grain of salt. But. But again, everybody wanted to say Lane Kiffin is a different person. You know, he's gone through. He sobered up. He's a family man again. He's just a good old person. And then he pulled the the ultimate Lane Kiffin move, where he topped every other bad movie he'd ever made by leaving a team in the middle of the playoff run.

[Caller]

Absolutely.

He did.

Paul and Pete Golden Golding pulled him out of the fire.

[Paul Feinbaum]

He did.

[Caller]

No, it was Pete's future, looks like.

[Paul Feinbaum]

I think Pete's in great shape. I mean, he's beloved and he should be because I don't know very many people could have come into that situation. I mean, every it was about the Georgia game. Everyone knew he was going to beat Tulane, but the fact that he beat Georgia of all schools, solidified him. Why don't we take a deep breath and leave it there?

[Caller]

Foreign.

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