Paul Finebaum’s mouth is running again, and as usual, it’s doing more damage than good. On ESPN this week, he tried to brush off the idea of Indiana winning a national title, before the game’s even been played. “It’ll be a cute story,” he said, “but it really won’t get that much [attention]. It’s all about what’s next in the NFC, AFC Championship games.”
Come on, man.
Indiana hasn’t even played the national championship yet, and Finebaum’s already writing them off like they’re a one-day meme. Forget that they just knocked off one of the sport’s bluebloods. Forget that they’ve turned the whole Playoff conversation on its head. Apparently, none of that matters because it’s not an SEC team.
And that’s the real problem here. If this were Georgia or Bama sitting in Indiana’s spot, Finebaum would be on a five-day media bender calling it the most dominant run in college football history. He’d be breaking out ten-dollar adjectives and declaring it a coronation. But when Indiana earns their way in? It’s “cute.”
That’s not analysis. That’s bias on autopilot.
This sport doesn’t revolve around what Paul Finebaum finds convenient. Indiana went out and earned their shot. They beat who they had to beat. They belong on this stage. And to suggest, before kickoff, that their possible win wouldn’t matter because the NFL is on deck is just a lazy, SEC-drunk take that does nothing but make people tune out.
It’s not even about Indiana at this point. It’s about what college football becomes when voices like Finebaum’s treat anything outside their bubble like filler. The national championship is the biggest game of the year. And if Indiana wins it, that’s not a footnote. That’s a statement.
They haven’t hoisted the trophy yet, but if they do, it won’t be “cute.” It’ll be earned. And it’ll matter whether Paul Finebaum likes it or not.
