SEC admirer Paul Finebaum drops bold predictions for most under-pressure teams in 2024: "Would hate to see Tennessee backslide" 

CFB analyst Paul Finebaum has a lot of expectations from teams in the SEC conference with all the changes that will take place. With changes in head coaches of dominant teams like Alabama to the inclusion of new members from Texas and Oklahoma, Finebaum is thrilled about the contest that will take place in the SEC in 2024.

During his recent appearance on the "McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning" show, Paul Finebaum made some bold predictions about teams who will be under pressure to perform in the upcoming season. He went on to talk about the Tennessee Volunteers and how there are a lot of expectations from their new quarterback Nico Iamaleava.

Iamaleava served as the backup to quarterback Joe Milton before being named QB1 ahead of the 2024 Citrus Bowl. With Milton now heading to the NFL, Iamaleava will go on to establish himself as the new starting quarterback on the roster:

"I think in the Tennessee case, there's an expectation with a new regime at quarterback. When Nico took over, I think everybody felt positive. I would hate to see Tennessee backslide, but I don't think they're going to", Finebaum said.

The Volts finished their third season under head coach Josh Heupel with a 9-4 overall record and a 35-0 Citrus Bowl victory over Iowa. Finebaum believes that they can go on to improve on this performance in 2024.

---

Paul Finebaum is not too confident about Gators and their head coach Billy Napier

When Finebaum changed the subject to talk about the Florida Gators, he did not have the same expectations from them and their head coach Billy Napier. The Gators did not even qualify to be bowl-eligible with a 5-7 campaign, and the pressure is high on Napier to have a successful campaign in 2024:

"Greg, everyone here is whispering about Billy Napier. There's no reason to whisper about it. He had a terrible season. No matter how many times his AD comes out and tries to say there's nothing here, there's a lot there. There is an apathy at Florida that concerns me more than the record.

"I talked to Steve Spurrier a couple of weeks ago, and he said, 'Ah, there's not much buzz going on around here.' I talked to a reporter the other day, said the same thing. Talked to a former player, Thaddeus Bullard last week and everyone's saying the same thing. There's just no excitement."

The 2024 season will be an interesting one to watch out for, especially the SEC conference. Will there be an underdog story in the making that CFB fans will talk about? Or will it once again be the dominance of teams expected to perform well?