Paul Finebaum on Indiana: ‘It is the greatest story in the history of the game’

Indiana football hasn’t been without its detractors during its marvelous two year run of success under head coach Curt Cignetti. Few have been as sharp and perhaps none have been as prolific as Paul Finebaum, a television-radio personality and the songbird of the SEC.

Finebaum was critical of Indiana’s inclusion in 2024’s College Football Playoff, doubtful of Cignetti’s abilities as a coach after the latter’s most recent contract extension and dismissive of the possibility of the Hoosiers’ win in the national championship and its impact ahead of Monday night’s game.

Then, on Wednesday afternoon, he waved the white flag.

“There can be no debate,” Finebaum said of the Hoosiers from his studio in North Carolina. “It is the greatest story in the history of the game.”

Finebaum went further, noting how widely misunderstood Cignetti’s work with the program has been. Then, he took responsibility.

“Nobody was more incorrect in understanding that process than me,” Finebaum said. “Almost everything I said throughout the season about him and about Indiana was wrong and it was an epic failure on my part.”

It’s Finebaum’s job to share his opinions and do so loudly. A Tennessee native and Volunteers alumnus, he’s been as high on the SEC as any commentator in the sport and built a long, wildly successful career out of it. But he’s like everyone else in that sometimes he’s wrong.

This was one of the most visible times.