ESPN’s Paul Finebaum Blasts Florida Gators for ‘Unwatchable’ Season Opener
Ever the furled brow or raisin in potato salad of life, ESPN’s professional-pot-stirrer Paul Finebaum manages to find fault in every corner of college football. His latest issue, the Florida Gators scheduling of Long Island University for the football season opener.
Finebaum, never one to skip righteous indignation, took the Gators to task for scheduling the FCS Sharks (10 points if you knew their mascot). Why? How does a breather of an opener affect the Gators, who play in the SEC, the most difficult conference in America.
“It’s one of the worst opening games I have ever seen,” Finebaum said Monday on his show. “There’s just no reason for it, and I feel sorry for fans on what will likely be a 95-degree early evening for that game. I’m sure it’s going to be at night. Who really wants to see it? It’s completely unwatchable.”
Granted LIU went 4-8 last year including a 45-0 loss to TCU, but the Gators still face LSU, Texas, Miami, Texas A&M, Georgia, Ole Miss, Tennessee, and Florida State. As a result, sharpening up in a competitive atmosphere before the start of conference season makes sense.
Florida will play a top-five schedule. Other teams around the country schedule similar opponents. For instance, Tennessee plays UAB and East Tennessee State, Alabama plays Eastern Illinois on the penultimate weekend of the regular season. Georgia sees Austin Peay early and Charlotte late. Ole Miss starts with Georgia State and welcomes The Citadel to Oxford late.
It’s not just the SEC. Ohio State opens with Texas but plays Grambling and Ohio the next-two weeks. A sure win is a sure win; the level of cupcake is irrelevant.
” Unwatchable”
Starting the season off with a metaphorical layup doesn’t hurt anyone. LIU receives a healthy check for their participation. FCS teams depend on these games to partly fund their programs.
They don’t possess the luxury of pontificating in an air-conditioned studio backed by the worldwide leader in sports. Additionally, Florida gets to thrill their home crowd with a strong start to the season. A rarity in life, everybody wins.
That game is only unwatchable to those that find issue with it. Plus, fans could potentially see Chris Howell, LIU quarterback with the quirkiest throwing motion in recent memory. It will be the biggest stage Howell has ever been on when he steps into the Swamp. He’s likely thankful for the opportunity.
If every dark cloud contains a silver lining, Paul Finebaum makes sure to discuss the dark cloud. Florida fans should pay him as much attention as they do that irritating uncle that they see at Sunday dinner.
The Gators, ahead of another tough schedule needn’t worry themselves with triviality. Another sub-eight-win season means the probable end of the Napier Era. They need to be sharp heading into Baton Rouge on September 13th.
