Paul Finebaum has been a prominent figure in college football, particularly within the SEC, for many years. Whether he is delivering hot takes or critiquing coaches, his comments frequently generate headlines. One coach Finebaum frequently criticizes is Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney. Finebaum once described Swinney as the “epicenter” of college football, but he now believes that due to Swinney’s “stubbornness and arrogance, and shortsightedness,” he no longer holds that position. Finebaum discussed his ongoing feud with Swinney on “The Paul Finebaum Show,” explaining that it began in the late 2010s. He emphasized that the conflict is not personal.
“It’s kind of a long-running feud that’s mostly tongue in cheek,” Finebaum said. “It happened back when Alabama was playing Clemson every year for the national championship. I really don’t know exactly what happened. I’ve spoken to Dabo a couple of times about it; he’s called me, I’ve run into him, and there’s no personal bad blood between us.”
Swinney has an impressive record of 180-47 in his 17 years at Clemson. During his tenure, he has led the team to two national championships, both of which were victories against the Alabama Crimson Tide. Overall, he holds a 2-1 record against the Crimson Tide in national championship games, making him one of the few coaches who can claim to have bested Nick Saban more often than not. Swinney has just led Clemson to its ninth ACC championship during his tenure. The team also made another appearance in the College Football Playoff but lost in the first round to the No. 5 seed, the Texas Longhorns (13-3). Swinney aims to build on this experience next year and return Clemson to national prominence.
