Paul Finebaum sets the bar high for Alabama despite no Nick Saban: "Not getting into the playoffs would be a disaster"

Paul Finebaum is placing top-tier expectations on Alabama for the 2024 college football season. The Crimson Tide will be entering the season without Nick Saban for the first time in 17 years. Under new coach Kalen DeBoer’s leadership, the Roll Tide fans face an uncharted season.

Saban led Alabama to six national championships and established the team as a perennial powerhouse, leaving big shoes to fill.

DeBoer, fresh off leading the Washington Huskies to an undefeated regular season and a national championship berth, is tasked with keeping Alabama at the pinnacle of college football. Despite the coaching change, ESPN's Paul Finebaum hasn't lowered the bar for Alabama.

"Not getting into the playoffs would be a disaster in my estimation," Finebaum declared (per Athlon Sports), setting a clear expectation for the Crimson Tide.

Alabama, a fixture in the College Football Playoff since its inception in 2014, is ranked among the top five in preseason predictions and has the seventh best odds to make the CFP.

While Finebaum sees Georgia and Texas as the conference championship favorites, he doesn’t count out Alabama.

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Paul Finebaum takes aim at NCAA for failing to take action over Michigan

The ESPN analyst was in no mood to hold back regarding the NCAA's handling of Michigan's sign-stealing allegations. While the NCAA is set to enforce sanctions on the Wolverines after months of investigation, Finebaum has expressed his doubts about the governing body's effectiveness.

“I thought this was over last year, but apparently it's not, and the reason why it's not is that the NCAA takes forever to do anything,” Finebaum remarked. [00:44]

The allegations against Michigan, including new coach Sherrone Moore, have sparked debate across college football, but Finebaum doesn’t believe much will come of it. He criticized the NCAA for lacking the power to enforce meaningful consequences, stating:

"I don't think it's really going anywhere because the NCAA doesn't have a lot of teeth." (0:55)

Despite the controversy, Finebaum was quick to defend Michigan’s on-field success last season. He pointed out that the Wolverines were dominant.

“Michigan won because they were great last year, and the NCAA is the last place other than the federal government I would ever go for help on anything.”

Whether or not the NCAA can swiftly take action against the Michigan Wolverines, Finebaum doesn’t rate the college sports governing body very highly.