You ever catch that moment when the golden goose starts looking a little scraggly? That’s the SEC right now for real, and Paul Finebaum’s got receipts. On The Matt Barrie Show, the college football guru didn’t just sound the alarm—he detonated it.

Grumpy Paul Finebaum didn’t hold back at all on the January 3rd episode of Matt Barrie’s show, “Look at yourself in the mirror sometimes and say, you know what, this may not be a very good year(for SEC).”He started, already pulling no punches. And then he went in: “Alabama was a huge disappointment. LSU was way off the charts. Georgia was below average for them—I mean, that’s how good Georgia has been. They seemed average, and they made it to the quarterfinals of the college football playoff. But every single SEC team has flaws.”

Georgia losing to Notre Dame wasn’t totally out of the cards, but if we were real, nobody expected Kirby Smart’s Dawg to lose to Marcus Freeman’s Notre Dame. If that didn’t sting enough, Finebaum hammered the point home, tying the SEC’s downfall to one man’s exit: Nick Saban.

Let’s rewind a second to the day the SEC’s juggernaut started showing cracks: January 10, 2024. That’s when Nick Saban, the architect of Alabama’s dynasty, announced his retirement. The timing? Brutal. Nine days after Alabama’s Rose Bowl loss to Michigan. The reasons? The transfer portal, coaching churn, evolving player behavior and whatnot. And since then, it’s been a straight-up tailspin for the SEC and even for Bama. Alabama, this season, under Kalen DeBoer, straight-up missed the playoffs. What even? It doesn’t really make sense if we are being honest. Bama losing to teams like washed-up Sooners and Vanderbilt. That’s borderline diabolical.

The stats don’t lie. Georgia Bulldogs? Knocked out by Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl. Tennessee? Absolutely humiliated by Ohio State in the playoffs. LSU? They didn’t even make the cut. And Ole Miss? Let’s just say losing to 4-8 Kentucky and Billy Napier’s Florida Gators squad at the end of the season wasn’t exactly a flex. It’s a big-time fumble at 1-yard line. Finebaum didn’t hold back on Ole Miss, calling it “hard to comprehend” that they could fumble a playoff spot that badly.

“The idea that Ole Miss could lose to Kentucky, Alabama could lose three double-digit favored games—it’s hard to comprehend. And we have never seen it before,” he ranted. The SEC, once a fortress, now looks like it’s low-key raided.

It’s not just about the losses; it’s about what they represent. Finebaum laid it out plain: “You now know why, a year ago next week, Nick Saban bailed out.” The man wasn’t just Alabama’s backbone; he was the SEC’s anchor. Finebaum’s praise for Saban bordered on reverence: “Yeah, he not only had the best team, he had the best second team. And, you know, it’s been said many times, but it’s worth repeating that he had future number-one draft choices on the reserve team. That’s how deep he was.” That depth? Gone. Now, SEC teams look fragile, like their armor’s got cracks all over.

Nick Saban leaving SEC same as Michael Jordan leaving NBA?

A certified Deion Sanders hater, Jason Whitlock, when it comes to bold, diabolical takes, and this one might be his most fitting all-timer. On X, he wrote, “Nick Saban’s departure diminished the entire SEC. I’m not exaggerating. I’m not trying to be clever. He elevated everyone. It’s like Jordan leaving the NBA.”

Look, think about it—when Jordan dipped, the NBA had to find its new face. The SEC is staring at the same problem. Without Saban’s influence, his ability to make every team better just by existing, the whole conference feels…ordinary.

Saban didn’t just raise the low-key bars; he was the bar. His recruiting, his adaptability, his relentless pursuit of excellence—it all made everyone else work harder just to keep up. And now? The SEC is scrambling to find a new identity.

Paul Finebaum’s fiery rant wasn’t just talk—it was a reality check. The SEC’s $13.3 billion empire is wobbling, and the cracks are only growing. Saban’s exit didn’t just leave Alabama searching for answers; it left the whole conference grappling with an identity crisis. Unless a new leader rises to the occasion, the SEC’s glory days might just be fading into history.