Leave it to Paul Finebaum to stir the pot before the first snap of the college football season.

The ESPN analyst, never one to mince words, took aim at SMU football during a recent segment of The Paul Finebaum Show , dismissing the Mustangs' 2024 College Football Playoff berth as unearned. "Last year, SMU got a third-place ribbon. They had no business being in the CFP," Finebaum said bluntly.

The comment has sparked major backlash among Mustangs fans and college football insiders, especially given SMU's standout first year in the ACC. The Mustangs went 11-3, won the ACC Coastal Division, and went undefeated in regular-season conference play before narrowly falling to Clemson 30-27 in the ACC title game.

Despite the loss, SMU secured a spot in the expanded 12-team CFP. While their post

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