Paul Finebaum said he missed most of Vanderbilt’s historic upset of No. 1 Alabama Saturday because he was on a plane. But when he arrived home from the airport, he caught the end of the game with his wife… who happens to be a Vanderbilt graduate.
Even when it appeared Alabama might lose late in the game, Finebaum told his wife, “Alabama will win this game.'”
The Crimson Tide, of course, did not win.
“PAVIA PICKS UP THE FIRST DOWN. AND THE UNLIKELIEST OF HEROES HAD GUIDED VANDERBILT TO WHAT WILL BE ITS FIRST-EVER WIN AGAINST NO. 1”
Tom Hart on the call as Vanderbilt seals a stunning upset win over Alabama. pic.twitter.com/KQWen9m65M
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) October 5, 2024
On Sunday, Finebaum shared his thoughts about the fallout from that game on The Matt Barrie Show. And his big takeaway is this was far more than just an embarrassing loss; Finebaum said the upset “shattered the mystique” of Alabama football.
“There are a lot of things in college football I don’t understand very well. But there’s one thing I do understand, and that’s the culture of Alabama football,” Finebaum said. “I spent 32 years in that state. And there is nothing like the week after a shattering loss. A loss to Georgia is not shattering… this is shattering. This is a shock to Alabama’s manhood. All those Bama folks who called in shows, including mine, who were boasting and… rubbing Georgia fans’ face in the dirt, saying, ‘We’re your daddy,’ they just lost to Vanderbilt. I just don’t know… I think everybody appreciates how embarrassing that is.”
Finebaum said the loss will make life tough for new head coach Kalen DeBoer in his first season as Nick Saban’s successor. Saban certainly never lost to Vanderbilt at Alabama. In fact, he recently told Pat McAfee, “the only place you play in the SEC that’s not hard to play in is Vanderbilt” — a very untimely comment given Saturday’s outcome in Nashville.
“Kalen DeBoer is about to experience things — forget the football field — when his wife goes to the grocery store, when his kids hear things and read things, and it will be vicious,” Finebaum said. “People appreciate what he’s done, but this is inexcusable. There is no way to ever excuse… the No. 1 Alabama team losing to Vanderbilt. That is the one thing in the closet you cannot ever, ever do. And he just did it and he didn’t waste any time doing it.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v83Eb-i4iA8
Finebaum said he kept hearing the close Alabama-Vanderbilt score Saturday and kept waiting for the Crimson Tide to turn it on and win. Because that’s what Alabama always does, he says. Now, that aura of invincibility is gone.
“That’s the thing that was shattered… the mystique of Alabama,” Finebaum said. “Saban built that back up to like it was (Bear) Bryant for those 25 years. Alabama’s mystique is literally laying in a gutter right now in Nashville, Tennessee. And that is going to be the hardest thing to get back.
“This is a crowbar to the gut of Alabama football, and I’m fascinated by how they recover.”
About Arthur Weinstein
Arthur spends his free time traveling around the U.S. to sporting events, state and national parks, and in search of great restaurants off the beaten path.