Paul Finebaum Torches Brian Kelly & Dabo Swinney For LSU, Clemson Losses

If hot takes are an art form, ESPN's Paul Finebaum is the Pablo Picasso of college football. Finebaum went in on LSU coach Brian Kelly and Clemson coach Dabo Swinney following Week 1 losses by both.

First, he took aim at Kelly, whose LSU Tigers failed to stop USC from driving down the field for a game-winning touchdown in the final two minutes. 

After the game, Kelly threw a bit of a temper-tantrum during his postgame press conference, repeatedly banging his hand on the table like an angry toddler. 

Personally, I didn't buy it. I've always thought Kelly was a bit of an actor (remember his brand new southern accent after he took the LSU job?) and this was another example. 

Paul Finebaum agrees with me, and he wasn't feeling Kelly's postgame "outrage." 

Brian Kelly came to LSU with a lot of hype and took over a program that was just two years removed from a National Championship victory. 

Kelly has two bowl wins in his first two seasons, but LSU fans demand more than Citrus and ReliaQuest (who knew that was even a thing) Bowl wins. 

After ripping Brian Kelly, Paul Finebaum turned his attention to Dabo Swinney. 

Speaking of under-performing coaches who are steering programs who recently won national championships, Finebaum wasn't done laying the boom (metaphorically) on big-name college football coaches. 

Dabo Swinney was next up on Finebaum's radar on Monday morning on ESPN. 

Finebaum suggested that it might be time for Swinney to end his run in Clemson, South Carolina. 

Remember when Swinney was a shoe-in to take over for Nick Saban when Saban inevitably decided to retire? 

My, how times have changed… 

Clemson had one of the best five-year runs in college football history from 2015-2019, winning two national championships, reaching the College Football Playoff four times and advancing to the championship each time. 

ESPN college football pundit Paul Finebaum went in on LSU coach Brian Kelly and Clemson coach Dabo Swinney following Week 1 losses by both.

(USA Today Network & Getty Images)

They also made it to the College Football Playoff in 2020, during the significantly altered COVID season, but lost in the semifinal to Ohio State. 

Since then, though, they have a Cheez-It Bowl and Gator Bowl victory to their credit and haven't looked like a national powerhouse. 

As Paul Finebaum pointed out, Swinney might be having trouble adapting to the new world of college football, the one dominated by NIL and the transfer portal. 

That being said, his five-year run should buy him more than a few years to figure it out. 

But the clock is ticking.