Did This ESPN Analyst Cross The Line With His Florida State Commentary? | AP Top 25 Omissions

ESPN's Paul fine bomb is making some new enemies in Tallahassee this guy just took a blowtorch to the Florida state seminal you are locked on AC your daily podcast on the Atlantic Coast Conference part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day shout out to the every dayers and thank you so much for making lock on acc your first first listen and your first watch today we're available free wherever you get your podcast we're free on YouTube We're part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel make every moment more this summer FanDuel is hooking up all customers with a boost or a bonus daily that's right there's something for everyone every day all summer long visit fanduel.com to get started on this episode we will talk about the basics of how mediation works because I learned something about that today Florida state in the ACC or in mediation uh right now in Florida I don't know how that's going to go but we'll find out hopefully something in the coming days uh we'll talk about the Associated Press rankings and whether or not we agree with them there's four ACC teams ranked is there anyone who was snubbed and left out from that but uh Kenton Gibbs Kenton by the way hosts locked on Wolfpack I am Alex Dono I host lockon canes Kent if I read for you these comments uh from ESPN's Paul fine bomb about Florida State can you tell me if this is fair play for someone who's paid to make his opinions on television or if he took some of this a little bit too far can you help me with this absolutely let's hear and you know I like to push things a little bit so so we gonna see what what what the what the thought is here this is this is making a lot of folks angry which kind of makes me feel like that's what he intended to do uh fine bomb so fine bomb uh of course SEC network in ESPN college football and analyst he's very Pro SEC if you know who Paul fine bomb is you know that by now he was asked on first take which team inside the top 10 of the Associated Press rankings will finish the season unranked and without hesitation Paul fine bomb said Florida State he continued and said they have no business being in the top 10 Florida state is ranked exactly 10th by the way they have no business being in the top 10 he said they have a difficult schedule they have Miami and Notre Dame in a three-week period on the road they end the season with Florida which is a debatable team he said that's kind of a polite way to put it he said but I think they're going to get caught in the run of the mill ACC game this year which they did not encounter last year they lost the guts of their defense fine bomb said they have a quarterback who has certainly been around and remains a question mark talking about DJ uang and I think they also have a hangover now Kenton here's the part that really pissed a lot of folks off I think they used up tooo many tiers crying about not getting in the playoffs and that may slow them down a little bit this year I mean my God the man did not hold back I'll tell you this most of that was fair play and inside the lines some of it was not right you talk about losing the guts of the defense Braden Fisk Jared verst that's absolutely the the heart and soul that's absolutely the you know just two players that are wild impactful and I'll tell you this the front end always affects the back end before the back end affects the front end we all know that so you've got fantastic work there in terms of those two leaving I agree with you those are two massive blows there even if you believe that Patrick Pon is gonna take a step forward do you believe that he can replace both of those guys or that their Replacements Patrick and whoever is going to be their starting you know uh nose guard can replace those two I think that's a tough sale that's a hard ask but he goes on to say you know hey they lost a lot the quarterback's question mark I agree with that I think that while dju has a high floor he also has a low ceiling I'm confused about how much you can honestly expect from him and really see him being a winner now where you get out of bounds is where you say they used up two many TI and and here's the thing I actually agree with the hangover assessment I think that team that go undefeated and deal with a situation like that there will absolutely be a hangover it's like losing the Super Bowl there's hangovers to that kind of thing absolutely but to say they use too many tears crying man come on man be a professional be a profession but that's what this hot take world that we're in now it's all about it's no longer about what substantive it's about what's going to make people laugh what's going to piss people off what's going to make them click and that's you know PA find by gets paid good money for what he does for a reason he's good at pissing people off and this is the moment where he pissed people off to Florida State fans I would simply say this look at Paul F bom take it with a grain of salt know that he is Stephen A Smith with the same hairline but a much uh a much lesser audience that's that's in essence who he is he's a Stephen A Smith of the SEC and he's trying his best to hurt your feelings don't let him bother you don't let him get to you oh I know what it feels like to be in fine bomb's crosshairs there was a combat four or five years ago that he made uh CU you know not me personally Kenton by the way I'm talking about about to say has no idea who I am maybe if we hosted locked on SEC he would he would know he probably knows who Chris Gordy is he doesn't he has no idea who I am no but I I know what it feels like as a guy who covers and went to Miami to be in fine bombs crosshairs because he's made he made a comment four or five years ago where he referred to Miami as a quote unquote third world program and a lot of folks down in South Florida took that very personally but at the same time it's like you said it this is what fine bomb does he's Stephen A Smith of the SEC this is what he does uh so I I guess my follow-up question would be in in making these comments and it's not I don't think it's the first time he's pissed off Florida State fans recently because you know he was talking in recent months about how like the SEC would have no interest in adding Florida State and Clemson and you may not be wrong about that I think more a lot of folks wonder the Big 10 thing is more debatable the Big 10 would seem like the likelier destination for Florida State and Clemson but he ruffled some feathers with those comments making it seemed like Florida state is an overvalued program in his eyes right so he's he's upset those fans before but I see some accusations coming out of Tallahassee where they really think there's a a coordinated ESPN agenda against their football program and it's not just fine bomb you go back to the comments that Kirk herb Street made after you know Florida State in in our opinion was snubbed from the 14 playoff but herb Street he he agreed with the committee's decision Florida State fans have not forgiven that guy uh ever since they probably never will so it's like are are are these just people expressing opinions that may run contrary to a certain fan base or do you feel like I I think maybe the accusation would be that since you know the ACC is a TV partner of ESPN and since Florida State maybe looking to go to Fox with the big that there's a coordinated attack by ESPN against Florida State I don't feel like that's the case what about you I don't think that there's a coordinated attack against Florida State in terms of that is the main goal but there is a coordinated effort to inflate and pump up the SEC and attacks on Florida State are a byproduct of that that is and I don't I don't think herb Street cares about that but fine bomb for sure he he will knock down anybody he has to to prop up the SEC yes absolutely and not only that let's take it a step further in terms of of what's happening with the coverage of these different conferences the reality of the matter is very simple I've talked about it at nauseum sanki is a showman he's a showman he he knows how to get the crowd going he knows how to do all those things and that on top of the fact that SEC schools are willing to give so much to football and and they're like hey everything else be damned we are going to really good at football and that's just all there is to it the reality is very simple ESPN has shown time and time and time again that there will be that tilt there will be that lean towards the SEC look at the difference between the SEC and ACC networks and that's no offense to ACC Network they do good work they do really good work but I'm saying look at the difference in terms of what who the personalities are what the personalities are paid who has the largest followings and all that type of stuff and I get it the SEC has more of a situation where SEC schools are their State's pro team who's the pro team in Alabama who's the pro team in Mississippi who's the pro team in all these different states in SEC country I get it I understand it but the reality remains that there is absolutely a push you can tell from a mile away even before Jordan Travis was hurt they were saying well if Florida State goes undefeated if this scenario happens where this team loses to this team and Florida State remains undefeated who's left out and Florida state was the odd came out before Jordan Travis got so to now look at this thing and see Jordan Travis getting hurt was just a convenient excuse there is absolutely that push that again these the perception is forming the reality which that should as much as we know perception is reality that should not be the case for certain things for certain things it should be what is happening what is happening if somebody's pissing on your leg 12 people telling you it's rain and doesn't make it rain you still need to go wash your leg immediately you understand yes even if everybody's agreeing to that so I I think that there's definitely a push for the SEC I don't think that that down in Florida state is the main goal of it but I do believe it's a byproduct of it absolutely I could see that well the Associated Press rankings just dropped early this week there are four representatives in the top 25 out of the ACC is that enough did they get it right and we can do a spin on the question that Paul fine bomb was asking instead of who's going to finish outside the top 10 or the top 25 is there anybody in the ACC who is left out of the top 25 who's goingon to finish the season in that thing you want to keep it locked right here my friends we're only getting started on this brand new episode of Locked on acc oh and I already know you're keeping it locked to eBay Motors passion drive and patience that's the formula for winning championships and it's also what keeps your ride or die alive eBay motors has everything you need to maintain your 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we keep you guys updated on everything wolf pack on everything Miami Hurricanes and then we all we sum up the entire league here un locked on acc so make sure you check out our other shows available free wherever you get your podcast and available free on YouTube so um the preseason AP poll comes out Kenton which it is a big deal um I think we you know the primary reason for preseason rankings I guess are just to create conversation but at the same time you always look at teams that maybe should be ranked who AR aren't to start the year and does that put them behind the eight ball because then it makes it harder for those teams to climb up the rankings during the season so they are as follows the top 25 you've got Georgia who's been the consensus number one team in the country you know people are wondering with their schedule being so tough are they going to finish the season number one at least the regular season they'll get into the playoff nobody would be a shocker if they don't Ohio State at number two Oregon number three Texas at number four Bama at five Old Miss at six Notre Dame at seven Penn State 8 Michigan 9th Florida State as we've discussed 10th that's the first ACC team to come into the rankings Missouri at 11 Utah 12 LSU 13 Clemson 14 Tennessee 15 Oklahoma 16 Oklahoma state 17 Kansas State 18 Miami 19th Texas A&M 20th Arizona 21st Kansas 22nd USC at 23 NC State at 24 and Iowa W they're three points per game scored at uh at number 25 um first of all did does anything jump out at you because I you know there are certain things out of the ACC Kenton I don't know if Texas top four to start the year if that might be a little bit inflated but and anything else jump out to you that shouldn't be where it is you know I think the funniest thing about the first segment that we had was it was about the top 10 team most likely to finish outside of the outside of ranking all together I don't know how number nine was not the team that everybody was wor Michigan that's another yeah yeah Michigan has a quarterback that has not played a snap of real meaningful football they have a team that I believe Jim Harbaugh was pedestrian and he was on his way his record was very pedestrian and he was on his way out at Michigan before Conor stalls joined that that situation that's just an objective fact that that's not I want it to be this is not a a takedown of Michigan that's just a fact it is a fact that before and after scout there there is a very clear delineation pre him post or pre him and and post his his addition to that um to that deal well and not to mention they were also uh committing recruiting violations during covid and and a lot of those a lot of those players were on that team last year I don't know how many of them are left this year but were on that team last year to won the championship and so so you know they they've been caught for so many they they can't keep allegedly cheating the way that they've been so that's another reason why they may fall out and here's the other thing right when you look at when you look at uh the situation in terms of oh well even if you say the cheating didn't matter and they're bringing back their best two defenders in will Johnson company sure right I I will give you that offensively what's going on there I mean don't get me right don't get me wrong I think the world of Donovan Edwards I think that he's a special special back a special special back is not enough in 2024 it's not it's not not in the Big 10 that they're looking at not with the schedule that they got with Texas also oned it as your as one of your non-conference games I'm very confused as to I get it defending national champs is always gonna give you a boost but a defending national champ losing your head coach losing your quarterback losing so many pieces offensively your starting running back losing so many pieces and I believe their top receiver as well in Roman Wills you're losing all of these guys who are so meaningful I'm confused as to where you get that besides like hey they got a big brand they were really great last year and we expect I would not be shocked at all to see that team finish outside the top 25 that's a great point now for for the ACC the four representatives are Florida State 10th Clemson 14th Miami 19th NC State 24th um Louisville was like this close to getting in they were they were like the top of others receiving vote so unofficially I guess they're number 26 so is there is there a team in the ACC who didn't crack that top 25 who you think are going to be in it at the end of the season Louisville is obviously the loow hanging fruit if if Chuck is healthy they're obviously the ones that are right for the picking there but on top of them I would probably say Virginia Tech is the other team that was not you know they they weren't even in the realm of of being thought about here but I think that they the perception and the reality two different things for this team because again if you watch the games you know how special Kiron Jones is if you watch the stats he looks like a pedestrian quarterback who can run a little bit so it's it's GNA be interesting to see which Kiron drones decides to show up how consistent he can be and how well that team can do in terms of again getting teams in bad situations getting teams behind the sticks so that they can send their dogs to hunt and so that they can come up with all those exotic CES that are that give quarterbacks absolute fits I'm very excited to see how that works out for them but I think I wouldn't be surprised to see them in a top 25 at the end of the season at all and and maybe even a Pony Express may possibly creep in there with a couple big on at the end of season possible and that's mine SMU um and you know again like we both have reservations about their chances to win the ACC because they're in the power four for the first time but if you're going to ease a team into the power four they've got the easiest schedule Kenton in the ACC I think their schedule is like either in the 70s or 80s ranked strength of schedule in the entire country which is like really low for a power four team so right there I I think very talented football team you know their quarterback Preston Stone I think it's going to turn a lot of heads this year they have a lot of talent at wide receiver really good offense we'll see how the defense holds up against Power four competition but just based on strength of schedule and Rost alone I think SMU could end up sneaking into that top 25 those boys schedu is so bad remember when we thought Holy Cross was a team on their schedule and we actually found out it was like Houston Central or something like that yeah I I got to go back and compare I I think SMU might have had a tougher schedule last year in the AAC than they have this year in the ACC like it's it's like I don't know they they got the luck of the draw very easy schedule yeah well you know this is I I'll say this this is while it is a luck of the draw sit situation there the realities are still the realities and preseason everybody's undefeated everybody's preseason Champs you got to put the ball down and while they do look good especially on the perimet I have no doubts about if they can hold up on the interior that perimeter those Playmakers they got out wide offensively they're gonna put on some light shows in the ACC my only question is the trenches on both sides how do you hold them yeah how do you hold I saw that they added a ton of guys in the portal adding bodies don't mean you're adding good bodies adding bodies don't mean you're adding talented guys in that rotation to to do what needs to be done there so he you know SMU was one of those teams for me that I'm like would I be shocked if they ended up in the top 25 no but if somebody said hey you gotta bet on one of these teams outside the top 25 to get in before the end of the year it wouldn't be SM yeah no I'm with you on that uh so Florida State and the ACC there they're reportedly in mediation sessions this week whether anything comes out of that we'll find out but Florida State and the ACC by the way they've got um an appeal date set for next month the ACC is appealing the denial of the motion to stay in Florida I'm sure that's going to get held up again we expect Florida State to keep winning in court in Florida we expect the ACC to keep winning in court in North Carolina we'll see which case wraps up first but uh I I was educated today on on how mediation Works H we'll talk about that when we come back you want to keep it locked right here Alex donno and Kenton Gibbs with you on this brand new episode of Locked on acc my friends FanDuel has gotten us through the summer with so many awesome Wagers so much fun with the Olympics international soccer Copa America the Euros UFC fights boxing and now football season is right here and NL preseason already going on at the first college football game Florida State and and Georgia Tech are going to do the thing in Ireland on the 24th of August so guys you want to be getting in on the action at FanDuel and all summer long it's still summer FanDuel is hooking up all customers with a boost or a bonus daily that's right there's something for everyone every day all summer long so head over to fanduel.com and start making the most out of your summer you can start betting your futures on acc games you got week zero and week one lines have already been posted Futures on who's going to win the conference who's going to win the Heisman get all of that at FanDuel fanduel.com official sports betting partner of Major League Baseball thank you so much for making this episode of Locked on acc your first listen and your first watch today make sure you also check out locked on college football with Spencer mcclaflin I'm actually going to be on his show uh tomorrow uh predicting the record for Miami and predicting the record for Clemson help me out K Kenton we we decided uh you know we're going to be doing our our lock on our ACCC preview show are are we in concert on nine and three for Clemson coming up this year is that where we're at for the Tigers because I want to make sure I sound smart when I talk to Spencer oh absolutely absolutely I I you know as much as I think the world of of the Tigers I really and truly struggle to say that they're headed in the right direction I really really do I is Phil mafa full-time back is your first question uh can Williams stay healthy on the outside I know that everybody keeps yelling at me Brown was our leading receiver last year will you tell me you saw Brown play last year you think he's a game breaker you think he's a game changer you think he's a guy that oh we got him healthy defense has better be on the lookout no he's not I'm sorry I'm sorry that's just the reality there K Kick's decision making to say that that leaves a lot to be desired would say that uh it that would be to say that um Adrian Monk left a lot to be desired in terms of Bravery like if you've ever seen the show monk the man was afraid of everything so yes just a quick little aside for you so with that in mind I I really and truly look at them and say the defense can carry you but so far their young defensive backs got better and better throughout the year I will give them their props they absolutely improved throughout the year they are bringing back one of the best linebackers in the nation in Barry Carter his running mate Jeremiah TR Jr is going to the NFL but you ask yourself how much can that defense do how far can that defense take him that's to be seen all right so here here's uh kind of what we can expect on how the mediation process is going between Florida State and the ACC now when I mention who my source is on this information I'm going to become like a Paul fine bomb level Public Enemy so this comes from an expost from attorney David McKenzie now I know Florida State fans do not like David he's he's very open about supporting the ACC in this lawsuit but the information that he shared on his ex account isn't so much like an opinion on how he thinks the case is going to resolve but more the nuts and bolts of how this mediation process works so his first point is this is a mandated process he says contrary to some commentary FSU and the ACC are not participating in this process voluntarily it is required in all civil cases and judge Cooper ordered an early mediation to encourage a settlement before the case prog addresses further uh his point number two uh neutral mediator he said the mediator is supposed to be neutral but neutrality can be nuanced he says a skilled mediator will have a deep understanding of the case and law allowing them to provide insights into the likely outcomes of the case this informed perspective can help guide the parties toward a resolution even if it's not explicitly stated then he writes uh confidentiality is the next Point mediators take this responsibility seriously he says they do not share what one party has said with the other unless given explicit permission and that brings to point number four the initial session he says mediation usually but not always begins with all parties in the same room where the mediator explains the process sometimes one party may be allowed to make a presentation however this practice is not always followed and some like myself do not like it as it can set the wrong tone then he says caucusing after the initial session the parties typically move to separate rooms to caucus the mediator will will shuttle between rooms discussing the strengths and weaknesses of each party's case and conveying offers or counter offers in an effort to reach a middle ground so part of that that I'm educated on Kenton is the fact that they actually spend less time in a room together which makes sense because that's when the other side could kind of figure out what the strategies are you know of of their opposition which could be could be ammunition if it does you know get through full trial so I I kind of pictured mediation like you know we I I drew the analogy to marriage counseling where you're kind of in the same room hashing it out sounds like there's very little of that it's more the mediator goes back and forth and he tries to keep what the other side is saying as secretive as possible yeah that absolutely appears to be the case but I look at this and I'm still like it's not too different from what you and I imagine because I believe that it'll be hey What's your deal to Florida State uh well half a billion dollars uh pay it out or don't and stay and the Florida State's deal will be something similar oh we don't want to pay anything or we want to pay a very low amount and we want we don't want our TV rights to be included in that and or we want our TV rights to be included in that lumps some we paid but we wanted to still stay this low amount and then they're just like nope I don't like that don't like that either okay great let's go to court and Duke it out I I honestly and truly don't see any resolution outside of that coming from this uh mediation I would tend to agree uh but if if we hear more about this process we will certainly share he is Kenton Gibbs from lockon Wolfpack make sure you follow him on X at TGIF Kenton I am Alex Dono from lockon canes you can follow me at Alex Dono and we'll talk to you again next time on another episode of Locked on acc part of the awesome lockon podcast Network your team every day