Paul Finebaum ‘would soil himself’ doing Matt Rhule’s job says Ethan Piper

At Big Ten Media Days this week, Nebraska football head coach Matt Rhule talked up the Big Ten. He said that it should get four teams into the College Football Playoff.

“I think four teams from this league should get in every year because this is the best league. This is the NFL of college football in my mind,” Rhule said. “It stretches coast to coast, different time zones, different weather. That’s not to diminish any other league, the SEC is amazing, and these other leagues are great, but the challenge in the Big Ten is going to be very difficult.”

Rhule didn’t say anything about Nebraska specifically in the comment. And let’s not forget, a Big Ten team won the national championship in 2023. The league also had two playoff teams in 2022.

Of course, noted SEC defender, Paul Finebaum, who is seemingly employed to defend the conference (and get predictions wrong) didn’t take kindly to those words and fired back at Rhule on ESPN’s “Get Up” on Friday.

Paul Finebaum WENT IN on Matt Rhule for saying the Big Ten deserves 4 CFP bids😬

"Just try to win maybe six games, quit choking big games on the final play and leave the punditry to the professionals."

(via @GetUpESPN, @awfulannouncing) https://t.co/exIGrmzCzg pic.twitter.com/FRSyNfIgg6

— On3 (@On3sports) July 26, 2024

“Man, stay in your lane!” Finebaum said. “Job one: win enough games to get to some stupid bowl game. Don’t worry about the big boys, because you’re not one of them.”

“We saw what you did in the NFL, you were a complete disaster in Carolina. You somehow got this job in Nebraska and you’re talking like you belong at the table with Ohio State and Georgia. You don’t! Just try to win maybe six games, quit choking big games on the final play, and leave the punditry to the professionals.”

Finebaum knows a thing or two about punditry. Remember when his thing was Jim Harbaugh and how he could never win a big game or beat Ohio State? Well, against all of Paul’s predictions, Harbaugh led a Big Ten team to the national title.

You can see Finebaum doesn’t like Big Ten coaches because he has also started attacking Ryan Day, Lincoln Riley, and now Rhule. Deion Sanders too.

I’m sure it’s a coincidence that none of them coach in the SEC.

Former Nebraska football player Ethan Piper took exception to the comment though.

“This fires me up! Trying to be as respectful as possible but that man would soil himself trying to do the job Coach Rhule is doing right now,” Piper wrote on X. 

It will be interesting to see what Finebaum has to say after Nebraska football gets to a bowl game and starts looking like a playoff team with Dylan Raiola at quarterback.

Nebraska football might not get there this season. But as Rhule said, it’s just a matter of when. 

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