Paul Finebaum slams Rhett Lashlee for taking shots at the SEC's dominance.
Paul Finebaum Takes ACC Coach to the Cleaners for His ‘Embarrassing’ Rant originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Paul Finebaum didn’t hold back on ESPN's "Get Up" when he heard SMU coach Rhett Lashlee take a swipe at the SEC while hyping up the ACC at Media Days.
Lashlee, in his pitch for ACC football, claimed, “There’s other leagues that claim depth, but the SEC’s had the same six schools win a championship since 1964. That’s top-heavy to me. That’s not depth.” He pointed to the ACC’s four 10-win teams, two College Football Playoff participants, and 13 bowl-eligible squads last season as proof of conference-wide strength.
But Finebaum wasn’t buying it.
“That’s one of the most comical, embarrassing rants I have ever heard,” Finebaum fired back. “First of all, I think Alabama has won about 11 national championships in that period he laid out. But that’s not even the main point.”
.@finebaum responds to SMU's head coach Rhett Lashlee comparing the depth of the SEC to the ACC:
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) July 23, 2025
"That's one of the most comical, embarrassing rants I have ever heard." 😯 pic.twitter.com/sdJUKRKhLE
Then came the knockout punch: “If I understand it correctly, he’s the head coach at SMU. I bet you know where I’m going here. 1987! You know what happened at SMU? They shut the program down! SMU is the most corrupt program in the history of college football, and Rhett Lashlee has the nerve to get up there and throw stones?”
For those keeping score, since 2006, the SEC has captured 13 national titles, with Alabama, LSU, Georgia, Auburn, and Florida all winning championships. The ACC? Three titles in that span: two by Clemson and one for Florida State.
And while Lashlee points to depth, it’s hard to argue against the dominance the SEC has shown. The league produces more first-round NFL Draft picks than any other and routinely packs the top of the AP Poll.
Meanwhile, the ACC has faced instability, lagging fan support, and questions about long-term conference viability as noted by "The Athletic" in March, "The league’s long-term future is still murky because it’s only going to get easier and cheaper for the ACC’s biggest brands to bail. Then again, the ACC’s long-term future was already in jeopardy as the Big Ten and SEC gained strength."
Lashlee’s SMU is entering its second year in the ACC, and it’s clear he’s ready to go to bat for his new league. But as Finebaum made clear, if you’re going to challenge the SEC’s legacy, you’d better come stronger than that.
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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 23, 2025, where it first appeared.
Category: General Sports
