‘Why can’t we have a f—-ng Finebaum Show?’ Dabo Swinney reportedly asked

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney was quoted as having asked a rather colorful question in a wide-ranging article from 247Sports Monday that delved into the lack of strong television and media coverage the ACC receives compared to the SEC and Big Ten amid the ever-changing landscape of college football.

How might the ACC match the increasing national prowess of the new 16-team SEC and 18-team Big Ten?

One idea reportedly floated by conference members is to have a Paul Finebaum-like personality on ACC Network to lead and drive narratives on the league’s behalf similar to what Finebaum does for the SEC. That’s where Swinney’s purported question stemmed from.

Per 247Sports’ national reporters Brandon Marcello and John Talty:

“Two years ago at the ACC’s meetings, Clemson coach Dabo Swinney complained about the ACC Network’s programming, according to sources, and asked, ‘Why can’t we have a f—-ng Finebaum Show?’ Of course, there’s no way to just create an ACC version of the Finebaum Show in a lab after the former newspaper columnist organically grew it in Alabama for decades, building a devoted caller base of passionate SEC fans, before moving to the SEC Network.”

247Sports’ story notes Finebaum’s role in playing up the SEC and keeping the conference fresh in the national spotlight five days a week. The league officially added Texas and Oklahoma this summer, three years after the Longhorns and Sooners announced their intention to leave the Big 12 for the SEC.

Moreover, the SEC will begin its first year exclusively on ESPN and ABC platforms after its long-standing contract with CBS ended last season. The SEC’s coveted 3:30 (ET) kickoff will now air on ABC.

Meanwhile, in the ACC, Florida State was left out of the playoff last year over one-loss SEC champion Alabama despite the Seminoles going 13-0 and winning the conference championship game.

A big point of emphasis among ACC members is that the conference lacks the type of attention and credence afforded to the league the way the SEC enjoys with ESPN (or similarly the Big Ten with Fox Sports).

ACC commissioner Jim Phillips, whose conference is currently being sued by both Florida State and Clemson with the schools’ hopes of breaking free from the league’s Grant-of-Rights agreement, is said to have reluctance over having a Finebaum type of personality on ACC Network.

But other ACC coaches, most notably Boston College’s Bill O’Brien and Louisville’s Jeff Brohm, seem more open to the idea.

O’Brien was directly quoted as saying the ACC needs its own fire-and-brimstone personality like Finebaum, who also enjoys regular airtime across popular ESPN platforms like “Get Up” and “First Take.”

“I wouldn’t say Paul is a nice guy, I’ve been on the wrong end of Paul’s commentary before but that’s what makes him who he is,” O’Brien told 247Sports. “He’s not afraid to criticize and he’s not afraid to praise when it’s due. That’s what the ACC needs. We don’t need a guy or a woman who is going to praise us all the time, we need somebody like Paul who stirs the pot.”

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