With the college football playoffs on the horizon, there is no better time to write about the media personality most associated with the collegiate game. Multimedia personality Paul Finebaum has become a college pigskin fixture known as the “Voice of the SEC.” Finebaum made his bones over two decades hosting a radio talk show in Alabama. Since 2014, he has been the prominent figure on the ESPN-owned SEC Network with his The Paul Finebaum Show.
Finebaum brings viewers all of his passion, anger, rancor, humor, and knowledge of SEC football and college football in general every day from 3:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. EST on SEC Network. He can be described as controversial, parochial, and critical, but has become omnipresent at ESPN – a regular participant on many of the network’s shows especially when college football tops the news. Finebaum has created a tremendous network of coaches and sources. He has also burned some bridges with these coaches and sources with his candor. I’ve heard the highest level of NCAA football coaches praise Finebaum one week and despise him the next, which probably means he is doing his job.
Paul Finebaum hardly looks like a TV star. He looks more like a bespectacled Mr. Spacely from the Jetsons cartoon. Finebaum may resemble an accountant, but in truth, he is more accountable. The dude is up front with his views and hides from no one. Finebaum is what he is – the single most fearless college football commentator in the business. You don’t have to like Paul Finebaum, but you have to respect him. He is a veteran of the college football world. He has seen the game change over time and has commented on every single aspect of these changes.
Finebaum is more than a star, he is a star maker. Over the course of his career at ESPN, he has provided a forum for other college football commentators to ply their wares. Foundation ESPN talent Laura Rutledge came to a level of prominence as a guest on The Paul Finebaum Show. The open to Finebaum’s show is probably the most eclectic, fun, and varied on television with shots of players, coaches, mascots, and even Finebaum himself dancing. He even has his own theme song “Call Paul” sung by American Idol legend Taylor Hicks. It is a raucous and rowdy open to a sometimes raucous and rowdy show.
Finebaum always cares about his audience, but that doesn’t mean he always cares what they think. He doesn’t kiss butt, polish apples, or lick boots. He is confident, provocative, and one of the truly must-listens and must-watches on television. Finebaum has his own strong opinions, but he’s not afraid to listen to those of others while jousting and debating. He can play both curmudgeon and court jester, protagonist and prince, flame-thrower and fan. Finebaum is a college football chameleon. You want commentary? He’s your guy. You want inside info? He’s your guy. You want deep knowledge of the sport cultivated over decades? He’s your guy.
On The Paul Finebaum Show, the eponymous host changes roles throughout the program. He sets the tone for argument, but also lays back and enjoys the thoughts of others. I caught his December 8, 2025 show, which began with Finebaum ripping through some college football news. One of the stories was written by nbcsports.com writer Nicole Auerbach with the headline “The College Football Playoff committee ‘really screwed up’ this time.” Auerbach then joined Finebaum live via phone to talk about the article and the hits and misses of the College Football Playoff (CFP) Committee. Auerbach, incidentally, has developed into a tremendous on-air sports talent on multimedia platforms. She has a strong social media presence and continues to rise as a writer and commentator. Auerbach is always informed, on point, and vital in her comments.
Finebaum is also a media throwback. The Paul Finebaum Show still takes live calls from listeners during his show. This is refreshing as most mainstream sports talk shows, even the ones that air live, have completely eliminated the fan from the discourse. Conversely, Finebaum has constructed his own persona not only as the voice of the SEC, but as the voice of the college football fan.
Paul Finebaum is less glitz and more grit, less show biz and more straight talk, less frills and more facts. He takes calls from all over the country, listening to fans’ opinions, gripes, and comments. He’s not afraid to go toe-to-toe with them either. From Tuscaloosa to Tennessee, Arizona to Alabama, they call, they speak, they argue, and they enjoy the show. This is truly a fan-first college football show. Finebaum is great at interviewing celebrity guests, but at the core, he is about the grass roots of college football.
I love the way that Finebaum serves as the conductor on the train that is The Paul Finebaum Show. He has an almost a monotone and relaxed demeanor. Yet he can fly off the handle at any moment if the right buttons are pushed. This episode’s debate mostly centered around the agrees and disagrees with the CFP committee and their choices for the upcoming 12-team playoff. Finebaum just let the callers vent.
One caller, Zak from Rhode Island, really hit the nail on the head in complimenting Finebaum. To paraphrase, he talked about how Finebaum’s show brings college football fans a lot of joy and how it is inclusive, allowing a diverse collage of fans to voice their views. The caller also said that Finebaum brings dignity and respect to all of his callers, and he is correct. Whether it is a caller, a social media commentator, or a guest on the show, Finebaum is always ready to debate, but not denigrate. He is an old school media gentleman. He’s totally into an argument, but not in a way that becomes nasty or uncomfortable.
Later in this episode, Finebaum welcomed Hicks to the show as well as WWE wrestler AJ Styles, the latter to talk about the upcoming Saturday Night’s Main Event on Peacock featuring John Cena‘s final match. Finebaum’s guest list is as diverse as his callers who chime in from the deep south and industrial north, the most rural of areas and the most bustling of big cities.
The Paul Finebaum Show also shows clips from other shows and uses the topics as a springboard for discussion with callers. On this particular show, he ran a piece of an interview with Georgia head coach Kirby Smart from ESPN’s College Football Playoff Selection Show. These clips are a nice touch, serving as effective transitions from one topic to another. You may deify or despise him, adore or abhor him, but one thing is certain. If you are not watching and listening to Paul Finebaum, consider yourself one of those teams left out of the playoffs and missing out on all the fun and fanfare of college football.
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John Molori is a weekly columnist for Barrett Sports Media. He has previously contributed to ESPNW, Patriots Football Weekly, Golf Content Network, Methuen Life Magazine, and wrote a syndicated Media Blitz column in the New England region, which was published by numerous outlets including The Boston Metro, Providence Journal, Lowell Sun, and the Eagle-Tribune. His career also includes fourteen years in television as a News and Sports Reporter, Host, Producer working for Continental Cablevision, MediaOne, and AT&T. He can be reached on Twitter @MoloriMedia.
