Utah Is Legit CFP Contender; Finebaum ‘Clueless’ Says Yogi Roth

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Pac-12 Network football analyst Yogi Roth is hoping that college football hosts with national platforms are not trending in the direction that Paul Finebaum is heading.

After comments were made toward the Utah football program by Finebaum, Roth is among the many with a national voice in the college football world that doesn’t agree with Finebaum.

Finebaum appeared on ESPN’s “Get Up” on Wednesday morning and said the following when asked if Utah could make the College Football Playoff.

“Let’s be honest, the country does not want to see Utah in the College Football Playoff… It’s Utah,” Finebaum said.

"Let's be honest, the country does not want to see Utah in the College Football Playoff."@finebaum sparing no feelings this morning 😬 pic.twitter.com/rz1tEzBtek

— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) December 4, 2019

You can listen to the full interview with Yogi Roth, here:

Irresponsible Comments By Finebaum

Roth appeared on KSL Sports’ Crimson Corner podcast and was asked about the comments made by Finebaum on the ESPN morning show.

“I don’t think it is necessarily being clueless,” Roth said. “I think it is him being irresponsible and also playing to his fan base (the SEC). For me to see him on a national show or have a credible voice in a sport that we hope doesn’t lose credibility. I hope that college football doesn’t become a show with Stephen A. Smith and Paul Finebaum yelling at each other.”

Now that the comments took the social media world by storm, Roth is hoping that shows on national networks like FOX Sports and ESPN don’t ruin College Football because of Finebaum’s mindset.

“If you look at the national networks and their shows, what are they? They are hot take shows,” Roth mentioned. “That to me spits in the face of 150 years of college football.”

Roth potentially thinks that the stage that Finebaum has been on with appearances on national shows, but needing to cater to his audience covering the SEC, that could potentially be why Finebaum isn’t in favor of Utah getting into the playoff.

“To me, it’s too bad because the guy has had an incredible career when you look at what he has done,” said Roth. “Since he has become mainstream, he plays to his fan base and has hot takes and a lot of times irresponsible takes, and often times personal takes. I think it is immature, it’s par for the course for who he has proven to be and it’s a sad state of affairs when somebody like that is given a platform and abuses it.”

One thing is for certain, Roth doesn’t think that Finebaum would say those comments to Kyle Whittingham.

“He doesn’t know the first thing about Utah football,” Roth stated. “I don’t think he would have the guts to say that in front of Kyle Whittingham and if he does, I would love to see that conversation.”

Finebaum Taking Personal Shots

“This guy is clueless, to be straight up,” Roth said. “He is a clown and I hate to make personal attacks like that because I have never met him. But, that to me is something that a 25-year old would say on Twitter. He should be in the hall of fame and I respect that. As a guy who is a part of the next generation of broadcasters and story tellers, I don’t think it’s cool to just take shots at people.”

It’s evident that the platform that Finebaum is on is not being used in the right way. Roth thinks that he needs to be called out, which he has.

“I do think it is important to call out people who have a voice and a responsibility,” Roth mentioned. “We bear the burden of influence and that responsibility can insight a fan base. As an insider, you are supposed to be able to peel back the layers and take us places and he (Finebaum) hasn’t done that.”

Roth used an example of Finebaum taking personal shots on ESPN’s College Gameday a couple of years ago.

“I saw him do that on College Gameday a couple of years ago when he took a shot at Lane Kiffin and whether you like Lane or not, I thought his shot was inappropriate,” Roth said. “Kirk Herbstreit called him out and told him that’s not what their show is about. I wasn’t surprised to not see Finebaum on Gameday again.”

Utah’s Chances Of Reaching Playoff

Speaking of Kirk Herbstreit, he joined Roth and Pac-12 Network host Mike Yam on their weekly television show called “Inside Pac-12 Football” on Tuesday night when the Utes moved up to No. 5 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings. After talking with Herbstreit, Roth knows that he is very complimentary of the 2019 Utah Utes.

“Herbstreit said that Utah is clearly ahead of Oklahoma and Baylor based off of how they played, not based off of who they have played,” Roth said. “He (Herbstreit) believes that Utah needs to make a statement on Friday against Oregon.”

When Roth was asked what he thinks the Utes need to do to get into the Playoff, he said the following.

“The biggest thing is that they just need to do what they have already done,” Roth stated. “They have won every game since the loss to USC by an average of 29 points. They have to play sound football and show the 13 people watching (CFP committee) that they belong. If they don’t play sloppy or turn the ball over or shrink in the moment, which I don’t think they will, then they will be fine.”

Utah will face No. 13 Oregon in the Pac-12 Championship game on Friday at 6 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ABC with Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit and Holly McGrath on the call.

The Crimson Corner podcast is the one-stop for all things University of Utah Athletics hosted by Utah insider Trevor Allen. Ute fans will find interviews with current players, coaches, and staff alongside expert analysis of every game, story and angle coming out of the University of Utah.

You can download and listen to the podcast, here.