Connect with us

Alabama Football Headlines

Does Paul Finebaum now feel Alabama is a championship team?

ESPN's Paul Finebaum on the broadcast set for 2022 CFP Semifinal matchup between Georgia and Ohio State.
Brett Davis - USA Today Sports

He has been critical of Nick Saban in the last two years, especially with Alabama not winning national championships with Bryce Young and Will Anderson as starters, but has Paul Finebaum changed his tune on the Crimson Tide?

The ESPN analyst evaluated Alabama with Greg McElroy and Cole Cubelic after a 34-20 victory over Tennessee.

RELATED: Failing to make CFP in 2023 could affect Nick Saban’s legacy per Paul Finebaum

Finebaum said Tide fans need to stop ‘obsessing’ over this year’s team.

“I thinker’s time to quit obsessing over what’s wrong and start concentrating on what’s right with this team,” he said Monday on McElroy and Cubelic. “There’s a lot that is. I think with each step on this ladder, it’s felt a little more comfortable and I think the outlook has been brighter.”

Alabama has not been perfect, but it’s made strides since its loss to Texas. The defense has rounded into form as it pitched a second half shutout against Tennessee. Offensively, it had made improvement each week. This team is unpredictable, but that is how Coach Saban likes it. He has a chance to affect this team positively to where its youth allows him to get its full attention.

“I think right now you have to accept the fact that since that very treacherous moment in the early part of the season, post-Texas and around the South Florida game, this team has gotten a lot better,” Finebaum said. “The coaching staff seems to be aligned after all the hullabaloo, some of it real and some of it imagined early on.”

Alabama remains in control of its destiny. The Tide can win the SEC West with a victory over LSU and play for a conference championship. It has an opportunity to be in the conversation for the College Football Playoff and a national championship.

RELATED: Paul Finebaum calls Nick Saban’s 2022 coaching job ‘the worst’ of his tenure at Alabama

Finebaum sees a championship in the making for Alabama.

“The path is pretty clear,” he said.

“The percentages favor Alabama and I think the momentum favors Alabama right now to get back to Atlanta.”

Alabama is off this week, but the team will prepare for its matchup against LSU on Nov. 4.

Click here to follow the Bama Elite Podcast

*Get the BEST Alabama football insider information, message board access, and recruiting coverage today! SIGN UP HERE to unlock our subscriber-only content!*

Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine.  You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.

Stephen Smith is a 2015 graduate of the University of Alabama. He is a senior writer and reporter for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. He has covered Alabama football for 15 years and his knowledge and coverage of the Crimson Tide's program have made him among the most respected journalist in his field. Smith has been featured on ESPN and several other marquee outlets as an analyst.

More in Alabama Football Headlines