ESPN personality Paul Finebaum had been vocal in expressing predominantly negative views on Michigan football throughout the season. However, following the Wolverines’ 27-20 overtime victory against Alabama in the Rose Bowl on Monday, Finebaum shifted his stance. He mentioned that a potential national championship for Michigan wouldn’t be tainted by the team’s sign-stealing scandal, which led to a three-game suspension for coach Jim Harbaugh late in the regular season.
Finebaum, speaking on ESPN’s “Get Up!” show on Tuesday, stated, “I don’t think so. And I know what I said, and I know what many others said… College football right now, it is such a mess. And while a lot of us find what we believe the case to be here, to be repugnant, almost everything about college football right now is repugnant. So, I think Michigan, if they win, they’ll hoist the trophy. There’ll be haters out there, but most people I think are gonna go, ‘Congratulations, you are the best team.'”
Finebaum has been notably critical of Harbaugh over the years. Back in 2020, Finebaum called for Harbaugh’s job after Michigan’s 2-4 finish. Recently, Finebaum referred to Harbaugh as a “dinosaur in a changing world.”
Furthermore, Finebaum acknowledged that Harbaugh had out-coached Alabama’s Nick Saban in the Rose Bowl, despite Saban’s seven national championships with the Crimson Tide. “He has answered every single critic,” Finebaum remarked on “Get Up” Tuesday. “And he outcoached Saban on the biggest stage in the sport.”
