As the College Football Playoff selection show approached on Sunday, it became clear that Alabama, Notre Dame and Miami were vying for the final two open spots.
And as the Fighting Irish faithful began to sound the alarm on a potential snub, Paul Finebaum had heard enough.
Appearing on The Matt Barrie Show ahead of the final bracket’s reveal on Sunday, the longtime SEC personality addressed the increased angst in South Bend. And in doing so, Finebaum took issue with the Notre Dame fanbase, which he believes now has a case for being considered the worst in the country.
“Notre Dame’s now in contention for being the worst fanbase in America,” he said. “I know that’s been the case, but just shut up already, Notre Dame fans. I mean, you haven’t done anything this year.
“You have a really good team. You played two very meaningful games at the beginning of this year. One of them on the road, you lost both. What’s your best win? Southern Cal. Whatever. You’re afraid to play in a conference because you want to take the money and run. That’s your fault. If you’re sitting at 12:30 today on the outside, that’s your problem. It’s not ours.”
Fighting Irish fans didn’t have much time to dispute Finebaum’s claim. That’s because they spent the rest of Sunday directing their ire toward the College Football Playoff selection committee, which did ultimately leave Notre Dame out of its final field.
The reaction from South Bend was just as Finebaum suspected it would be, and only amplified by the Fighting Irish announcing they won’t be participating in any bowl games this postseason. The snub also prompted Fox analyst and former Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn to criticize ESPN over its reaction to his alma mater withdrawing from postseason consideration.
In the Fighting Irish’s defense, it had appeared their playoff spot was safe in the weeks leading up to Sunday’s selection show, only for BYU’s loss in the Big 12 Championship Game to open the door for the committee to compare Notre Dame to Miami, which won their head-to-head showdown in Week 1. Whether or not that was the right call is a matter of opinion, but it would be tough to fault the Fighting Irish from feeling like they had the rug pulled out from underneath them on Sunday.
If any other fanbase found themselves in the same situation, one would imagine they’d act similarly. But according to Finebaum, this particular fanbase’s reputation happens to precede them.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.