paul finebaum: Paul Finebaum fires "existential threat" warning on CFB's future with transfer portal and NIL taking center stage

Paul Finebaum has warned about the state of college football in the past. On Monday, he raised the warning to "existential threat" level.

On the "McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning" show, the SEC Network analyst talked about how fans could be going away from the game amid several changes in the college football structure. It's something he doesn't believe the start of next season can change.

"I think college football is at a tipping point, and I think what is going on now is an existential threat," Finebaum said. "In a couple of weeks, one thing we will all be saying is 'get me to that first Saturday, get me to the last weekend in August and all of this will go away, but all this will not go away."

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While he has been vocal about how the changes in college football have affected the fan base, this could be considered a stern warning.

Finebaum dove deeper into explaining how the transfer portal could alienate the fan base, especially as players can easily jump to another program.

"It's just a bizarre system," Finebaum said. "We don't care that the layers are making money, but ultimately, the loyalty to the school is where the factor is. And isn't so much the money, it's not so much the talk of the playoffs. It's the portal. It's the fact that a player can leave in a moment's notice with no commitment, no loyalty. I think it's disconnecting fans."

The insider believes the impact will not be felt immediately, but it will gradually turn fans away.

Paul Finebaum is looking out for this SEC team

SEC Network insider Paul Finebaum believes an out-of-the-ordinary team could make a run in the Southeastern Conference: the Auburn Tigers.

Finebaum said Hugh Freeze has a talented squad after adding players through recruiting and the transfer portal, which should lead to a big year.

"I came away from talking to Hugh Freeze pretty upbeat," Finebaum said on Monday, via 'The Paul Finebaum Show.' "He's got a lot of players that he didn't have. He was honest about that yesterday. I like their quarterback situation."

Freeze will have more talented players and a new offense to work with. Jackson Arnold and Eric Singleton Jr. will lead an offense that ranked 93rd in points per game last season.

Auburn is looking to bounce back from a 5-7 (2-6) season in 2024. The Tigers will open the year against Baylor on Aug. 29.

About the author

Allan Wolburg Robles is a College Sports journalist at Sportskeeda with over 17 years of experience in the field writing for publications including Reforma, Yahoo! OddsShark and Apuesta. Allan studied Communications at Anáhuac University, where he learned what would become the basis of a trade that was already a dream of his before starting college.

His favorite team is Army West Point as when he was young, Allan lived in West Point for a couple of years, went to pretty much every home game, a couple of Army-Navy games and even got to meet some of the players.

Allan's favorite players of all time include Tommie Frazier, who was unbelievable during the Nebraska dynasty of the early 90's. Tim Tebow was also a favorite, mainly because of his leadership skills, although he was also awesome on the football field. As a fan of defensive football, (or what's left of it), Sean Taylor could take over a game for Miami.

Allan has always considered himself a student of the game more than a fan of it. So the historical part and evolution of the game, as well as the ins and outs of what happens on the field, and being able to put it into words for the audience, are his biggest strengths.

Besides sports, Allan enjoys reading books, watching movies and spending time with his dogs.

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Edited by Victor Ramon Galvez