Few people know the SEC landscape quite like Paul Finebaum. The host of The Paul Finebaum Show and ESPN/SEC Network presence always has a strong opinion about what’s happening involving the football programs in the league.
Since news broke about the agreement between LSU and Ed Orgeron for him to step down as head coach following the 2021 season, people have been wondering what Finebaum thinks of the unique situation. Given the coach’s epic fall from national champion to a buyout in less than two years, it’s the kind of operatic tale that can only happen in the SEC and that makes Finebaum the ideal person to offer up a critic’s perspective.
Finebaum appeared on McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning on Monday where he gave Coach O a lot of credit for the way he handled the situation but also credited LSU athletic director Scott Woodward for finding a very “palatable” way for Orgeron to exit while everyone got to save face.
Paul @Finebaum made his weekly appearance on @MacandCube to offer his perspective on LSU & Coach Ed Orgeron agreeing to part ways after the 2021 season. pic.twitter.com/WvfS6DWupF
— WJOX 94.5 FM (@WJOX945) October 18, 2021
“I think Coach O handled it well… but if you fire me today and give me $17 million, I’ll come over and cut your grass. I don’t care,” Finebaum said. “It’s a show, that’s all it is, and it’s a show because Scott Woodward to get rid of Coach had to find a palatable way for him to exit. Knowing that he is very popular. Knowing that people in that state don’t care about all the reasons he was pushed out. They just care that he’s a product of south Louisiana. He talks the language, he won a national championship and he’s the LSU coach.
“And for that I give Woodward credit, it’s not easy to pull these types of things off. They did, it doesn’t mean anything. We know a lot of the truth now in reports, but fans don’t care about that, they only care, Cole and Greg, as you guys know, about what’s on the scoreboard, and Ed O won the last game that they saw him coach.”
Orgeron will remain on as head coach through the end of the season, which could very well include a bowl game. Still, it’s an epic fall from grace considering he led LSU to the national title just two seasons ago. It speaks to how fast things move in college football, especially in the SEC.
[WJOX]
