Bianchi Becoming The New Finebaum In Attack On Vandy

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When it comes to grabbing attention, big proclamations are the name of the game.  Tackling a small topic or detailing both sides of an argument just don’t draw in readers they way that shocking declarations do.

For years, the king of this type of writing — at least in the SEC region — has been Paul Finebaum.  Each Tuesday the Mobile Press-Register posts his new opinion piece.  And each Tuesday, we link to it.  And then some fanbase gets mad over it.


“Arkansas and South Carolina should be kicked out of the conference.”

“Mark Richt is headed out the door at Georgia.”

“Does Anthony Grant even want to be at Alabama?”

“Nick Saban and Urban Meyer have been corrupted by power.”


Big.  Loud.  Declarative. 

Heck, Finebaum even made news last week by being the only media member in Hoover, Alabama not to be won over by Vanderbilt’s Robbie Caldwell.  There’s nothing wrong with a little cynicism, but Finebaum is so often the skeptic that I expect him to pop up in the next X-Files movie.

These days you can make room for another “I’ve got a surprising take that will tick you off!” writer in the South.  Mike Bianchi of The Orlando Sentinel is following the Finebaum formula… and following it successfully.  Here are just a few of his headlines from the past couple of weeks:


“Forget Southern Cal, Alabama is NCAA’s most consistent cheater.”

Most incendiary line:  “Alabama’s rallying cry should be, “We Lied!”

Fact:  Sure Alabama has a rap sheet a mile long, but this was a hard shot at the league’s top team just as reporters began to convene for Media Days.  It was an out of the blue, unprovoked, “Cheater, cheater, pumpkin-eater” from Bianchi.


“Georgia might be the most overrated program in college football.”

Most incendiary line:  “The fact of the matter is this: Without Herschel Walker and Lindsay Scott, Georgia would be closer in history and tradition to South Carolina than it is to Florida.”

Fact:  Florida’s tradition dates back all of 20 years.  Georgia is one of the 11 winningest programs in the history of college football.  Without Steve Spurrier building things in the early ’90s, Florida would still BE a South Carolina.  (Sorry, Cock fans.)


“Tennessee should have kept Phillip Fulmer.”

Most incendiary line:  “Wish that I was on old Rocky Top, Up on a Tennessee hill, Kiffy done bolted like a pig runnin’ to his slop, Guess that we shoulda kept Phil.”

Fact:  Lane Kiffin’s quick departure further wrecked the USS Volunteer, but the ship had already hit an iceberg.  No league titles or BCS bowls in a decade.  Two losing seasons in four years.  A stadium filled with Alabama fans on the Third Saturday in October.  Kiffin made things worse, but Phillip Fulmer had overseen a decline in the program.


And finally we come to Bianchi’s most recent post:  “Why is Vanderbilt, not UCF, in the SEC?”

Bianchi’s premise is this: The BCS (his real target in the piece) is bad because Vandy is in the SEC and UCF — that’s Central Florida to folks outside Orlando — is not.

“Can anybody logically explain this,” he asks.  “Can anybody tell us why UCF, a thriving, up-and-coming program committed to building a big-time football program is stuck in Conference USA while Vanderbilt — just because it was fortunate enough to join a major conference during the Great Depression — still gets to reap the financial and ancillary benefits of being in the SEC?”

I’ve got numerous issues with that one paragraph alone.

First, if I said the words “Central Florida football” to anyone outside of the Sunshine State, I doubt the word I’d hear back would be “thriving.” 

From 2004 to now, the Knights have gone 34-41.  They have also made headlines due to a federal fraud scandal involving improper cell phone use in the 1990s.  Some believe UCF’s coach’s negligence was partly to blame for the death of a player in 2008.  And the program is currently on two-years probation due to “major” NCAA violations.

Other than that — thriving!

As for Vanderbilt reaping financial rewards because it was fortunate enough to join the SEC years ago, that’s nothing more than the American way.  Getting there first is the key to just about everything in our society. 

There are other soft drinks out there, but Coca-Cola was the first biggie… and it’s still THE biggie.  The nation would probably be better served by having multiple political parties, but we’re stuck with two because that’s  the way it’s been for the past century.  If Bianchi inherited a fortune from a relative would he feel the need to give the money away?  “Why should I prosper just because Grandpappy made money in the 30s?”

Vandy prospering from a good decision is no different from any other person or business prospering from a shrewd investment or a wise choice.

“The fact is, Vanderbilt doesn’t belong and cannot compete in the SEC,”  Bianchi writes.  In football — which admittedly drives the bus — no, Vandy does not compete with the upper echelon of the SEC.  However, VU is quite competitive and often successful in other sports such as basketball, baseball, women’s basketball, etc, etc.

Bianchi even goes on to point out that Arkansas, South Carolina, Kentucky, Mississippi and Mississippi State haven’t played in a BCS bowl.  So he believes UCF would navigate an SEC schedule all the way to a BCS bowl?  Please.

The writer then explains that UCF is a bigger school than Vanderbilt — though he doesn’t dare say “better” — and that if this country “based its hierarchy on the power structure that was in place 100 years ago,” “African-Americans would still be riding in the back of the bus” and “Women would still not be allowed to vote.”

Yes.  The SEC’s decision not to boot a founding member that also happens to be its most prestigious university over its football program is akin to mass racism and sexism.  Sure.  I see that.

Why Bianchi’s column even forces me to defend the BCS, which I loathe.  He says the BCS is “un-American.”

Sadly, it seems there’s now nothing more American than calling something “un-American.”  Democrats and Republicans have spent the last six years calling each other un-American.  The current healthcare system is supposedly un-American.  But then the recently passed plan to fix healthcare is also un-American.  Everything’s un-American.

Except for making money. 

The rich getting richer?  That’s very American.  That’s capitalism, baby.  And the BCS is all about the richest few — those who built up college football — reaping the rewards for their past decisions and past successes.

The BCS might be a crummy way to decide a national champion, but it’s as American as apple pie, mom, insider trading and HMOs.

To eject Vandy from the SEC just so UCF can get a bigger share of the wealth, uh, that’s pure socialism.  And some would certainly point out to Mr. Bianchi that that’s — dare I say? — un-American.

Vandy’s not going anywhere.  Certainly not to make room for UCF.