“It has Hollywood mini-series written all over it.”

Well, shit, don’t tell me the world hasn’t been waiting for this.

Is there more to the Nick Saban-Jimbo Fisher feud? Will NIL be what drives Nick Saban from college football?

These are just a couple of the questions that Paul Finebaum intends to answer in an upcoming, yet-to-be titled book on the subject.

The ESPN analyst is stepping away from the mic (figuratively, of course) and dusting off the writing utensils to collaborate with AL.com’s John Talty in an account of the rivalry between Alabama’s head football coach and two of his coaching proteges, Texas A&M’s Fisher and Georgia’s Kirby Smart, in the context of college football supremacy and with new rules that allow amateur athletes to be paid by businesses for use of their name, image and likeness.

I know I’ll be on the edge of my seat as publication day approaches.

Among the topics to be explored is the dynamic between Fisher and Saban but also Saban and Smart.

Finebaum said what transpired between Saban and Smart leading up to the championship game was “genuine,” but he thinks “the relationship with Saban is completely different, though.” He contends Saban views Smart completely different than Fisher.

“I think they are both complicated relationships,” Finebaum said. “To me, the scope of all of this is Shakespearian. You have Saban and his two prime courtiers. One is, at least publicly, playing the game of worship and deference in spite of winning a championship against him. The other has simply broken the cord and has gone scorched Earth. To me, it is a fascinating dichotomy between Saban and these two individuals. I think it screams for more.

Yeah, they’ll be teaching from it in eleventh grade English classes for years to come.  And before you ask how much of Finebaum’s audience can read, don’t bother.  They’re gonna wait for the movie.

Hollywood has taken notice, one industry insider tells AL.com. The industry is eating up sports content right now…

“I don’t have any doubt the entertainment industry will have an interest in this,” Finebaum said. “Because no one knows about this yet, we haven’t been down that road yet. I’ve heard through some friends of mine in the industry, that Hollywood would look at this very seriously.

“I think it is a made-for-Hollywood story. It’s an incredibly compelling story, involving the greatest college football coach of all time at a critical moment in his career and the two disciples that are challenging him for supremacy.”

Hollywood?  Who’s gonna play PAWWWLLL!!! in the movie?

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Go away, or I shall taunt you a second time.

Geez, Finebaum is really dogging the Clemson fanbase.

“There is no doubt after reading social media (Wednesday), the most insecure, paranoid fanbase of college football in America is Clemson. The Clemsonites take it to a whole new level. It’s one thing if you’ve never won a national championship. … But these guys have won two in recent years and they are just so desperate for attention. They are so desperate for adulation. They are so desperate to be loved.”

He did have a message for Clemson fans, though.

“I just laugh at Clemson fans,” he said. “Get over yourself, OK? You’re not that important. This 2022. College football has left you behind.”

That should make for a fun show this week, which is all PAWWWLLL!!! really cares about anyway.

PAWWWLLL!!!, and “where it’s at”

PAWWWLLL, stirring things up:

Sporting News’ Bill Bender recently released his top head coaches for the 2022 season with Nick Saban on top, followed by Dabo Swinney, then Kirby Smart, Ryan Day, Luke Fickell, Brian Kelly, Lincoln Riley, Jimbo Fisher, Jim Harbaugh and Kyle Whittingham.

College Football talking head Paul Finebaum was not a fan of Swinney being listed above Smart.

“How about right now?… My pushback is we don’t need a list,” Finebaum told Bender on the Paul Finebaum Show Tuesday. “We already know that. We want a judgment to say who’s better. Are you telling me – I promised myself I wouldn’t do this, but I’m going to – are you telling me that Kirby Smart is inferior by one number to Dabo Swinney, in spite of that championship? I don’t need to remind you but look at the trajectory of the programs right now and where they are. I think Dabo Swinney is yesterday’s news, and Kirby Smart is where it’s at in college football today.”

I thought a list is a kind of judgment.

Look who’s serving the rat poison du jour

PAWWWLLL!!!

The ESPN personality also gave his thoughts on who the best program in the country is.

And fresh off a national championship and 15 players selected in the 2022 NFL draft; Finebaum believes Georgia holds the crown.

What Thursday really was, ended up being the final cherry on top of the cake for Kirby Smart and Georgia. I mean, it was a defining moment for Georgia’s program — as the national championship was — but this confirmed it. … It’s remarkable and I think, now, hopefully, people will give Kirby Smart the credit that he deserves as a builder and as a developer — and, obviously, as a head coach.

Finebaum also noted players such as Justin Fields, Cade May and Jermaine Johnson III that transferred out of Athens; but still walked through those turnstiles at one point.

It’s hard to argue, after this past weekend, that Georgia doesn’t have the best overall program in the country — and I’m not talking about a moment in time, the winner of the championship. Too often, we do that. I’m talking about — look at who has the best program in college football right now. You can make an argument it’s the University of Georgia.

Gotta make sure he’s got fresh fodder for the ‘Bama fans who call into his show, I guess.

PAWWWLLL!!! has some advice for Kirby Smart.

No, really.

Georgia football aims to defend its national championship by running things back with Stetson Bennett at the quarterback position. The Bulldogs will likely have to get by Alabama once or twice to win another national title, and Bennett would have to play a big role in that. Kirby Smart’s quarterback still has some skeptics, including Paul Finebaum.

“They are not my favorite — Alabama is,” Finebaum said Monday of the College Football Playoff, when asked about Georgia’s spring game this past Saturday, on WJOX-FM’s Cubelic and McElroy. “And I think they are clearly the (SEC East) favorite to get to Atlanta, but again, I’m basing a lot on Saturday — which I try never to do. But I think they’re a legitimate top-four team, maybe top-five. But do they have the weapons? And you laid out a really good case — I think, offensively, they do. Defensively is another question.

“And I think the Bennett conversation is going to go on and on and on. And I know, Greg, you got a much better insight than I did, having been there. But regardless of what Kirby Smart says, I think there is still going to be the chatter — it may not be legitimate chatter, but it is still chatter. And I would advise Kirby Smart to quit trying to defend Stetson Bennett.”

You’ve got to love the whole “I’m basing a lot on Saturday — which I try never to do” vibe there.  Who knew Finebaum was into G-Day QBR?

I’m sure Kirbs will take all that deeply to heart.

Kirby Smart, PAWWWLLL!!!

Don’t think you’ll hear anything earthshattering here, but have at it:

Always be click baitin’.

Does G-Day performance matter? @finebaum throws out scenario: What if Stetson Bennett gets outplayed …. https://t.co/npWAttMfxr pic.twitter.com/e8uprYwAqc

— MikeGriffith32 (@MikeGriffith32) April 14, 2022

You know you’re in the presence of keen insight when you see Finebaum cited to get the rubes going.

But Stetson, PAWWWLLL…

Hmm… I guess we won’t be the only ones checking G-Day QBR this year.

Stetson Bennett is expected to begin the season as the quarterback for the Georgia Bulldogs, but ESPN’s Paul Finebaum isn’t convinced quite yet. Bennett led Georgia to a national championship last season, and then decided to come back for another season. Now, Bennett needs to continue playing well in this weekend’s spring game to keep a hold on the starting Georgia quarterback job.

Finebaum said that if Bennett plays poorly in Georgia’s spring game, it could create a lot of questions for Kirby Smart in the Bulldogs quarterback room.

“It’s Georgia. I’m really curious about the quarterback situation,” Finebaum said. “I know that there will be a lot of blowback, but I continue to worry for Stetson Bennett. He had the storybook ending, he decided he wanted to come back, and I have my doubts whether this will be a vintage season for him just because of a number of circumstances. So yeah, I’m watching that because if he stumbles in the game and Beck or another player look really good, then I believe that debate will start and create angst and anxiety for Kirby Smart in the offseason.”

Can’t have that.

If Stetson needs to feed that chip on his shoulder, it sounds like he’ll have plenty of sources for that.

Here Finebaum is now, CFP. Entertain him.

Watch Finebaum try to thread the needle between being a complete SEC fanboy and bitching about how the possibility of playoff expansion has been set back because of bad blood between Sankey and the Alliance.  It’s hilarious.

He’s so flummoxed by the situation that, even has he advocates for expansion, he can’t help but acknowledge there usually aren’t even four teams in a given season worthy of national title consideration.

The conferences want the money expansion brings and the pundits want the increase in talking points.  If they have to trash the status quo a little to get there, so be it.  What more do we need, college football fans?

Greatest moral victory evah!

Finebaum is “officially” recognizing Tennessee as finishing 8-5 this season.

Your 8-and-5 Tennessee Volunteers, ladies and gentlemen…courtesy of @finebaum pic.twitter.com/JWK0ju8sqm

— Daniel Bramlette (@DannyBrams) January 3, 2022

That and five bucks should get your typical Vol fan a burger and large fries at their neighborhood Dairy Queen.  LOL.