On yet another Sunday edition of the Matt Barrie Show with guest Paul Finebaum, the two ESPN commentators broke down an epic Week 8 Saturday of college football while addressing some bigger-picture coaching narratives.

As they bounced crazy ideas off each other — like a Jimbo Fisher return to college football… or a Lane Kiffin return to Tennessee — Barrie eventually brought up the conundrum of two of college football’s top jobs which have just come open in the same cycle with Penn State and then Florida. With both programs on the search for a new leader, which one would Finebaum choose if he was a prospective college football coach?

“I like Florida, Matt,” Finebaum answered, unsurprisingly for an SEC Network analyst. “And it’s not because of the region of the country I’m from, it’s just that I have seen the development there,” he added.

Penn State, in the 21st century, isn’t a perennial powerhouse quite to the level of Florida, and they don’t have a national championship and multiple conference crowns to show for it. Even if the Nittany Lions roll deeper with financial resources, Florida’s geographical and cultural edge, plus their more distinguished history, puts them on top in this head-to-head.

“It’s not even the recruiting base anymore, because that’s a misnomer, but I think the commitment there — maybe not dollar for dollar, because Penn State is very mighty, but you’re just playing in a better area of the country to me, and I think it gives you more opportunity there,” Finebaum explained.

But there’s no canyon of separation between these two very-well-entrenched college football programs.

“There’s not a lot of difference between the two, but I just can’t help but get hung up in the history of Penn State and all the peaks and valleys,” he went on. “I mean, (James) Franklin, for all of what has been said about him in the last week, was a top-tier coach. He just wasn’t at the very first tier.”

Matt Barrie claimed he was on Finebaum’s side of the debate but did note before ending the conversation that the path to national success could be easier at Penn State.

“I’m with you,” he said. “I think that part of the country, playing in the SEC, I think (you) could probably win quicker at Penn State, because I think there’s less to get through in the Big 10.

We all shall see which program plucks the stronger head coach, especially if these two storied programs set their sights on the same person.

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