For years, “The Mouth From The South,” Paul Finebaum, would hurl rocks in the windows of Jim Harbaugh and Michigan without any repercussion. Neither Harbaugh nor Michigan had given any signs of defending their house, and that enabled consistent low blow after low blow. Everything changed Monday night at the Rose Bowl, as Harbaugh outsmarted Alabama coach Nick Saban time after time, leading Michigan to their first College Football Playoff Championship game ever in a 27-20 win in overtime.
Finebaum appeared on ESPN’s Get Up in a segment with Mike Greenberg, football analyst Dan Orlovsky, and guest Taylor Lewan – a Michigan alum. As Greenberg navigated the segment, he eventually broached the topic of whether a Michigan championship would be tainted.
“I don’t think so,” Finebaum said Tuesday’s episode.
“And I know what I said, and I know what many others said. … College football right now 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.’”
—Paul Finebaum on Michigan’s validity if they win the title
Sometime during his coverage at the Rose Bowl, Finebaum saw what most of us saw in the Big Ten week after week, that this is the most complete Michigan team since their 1997 championship team. They have athletes at all levels, and the sophistication of Harbaugh’s pro-style offense of motions and shifts was chess to Nick Saban’s checkers of due to a lack of defensive adjustments.
Harbaugh is, at the moment, arguably the hottest coaching commodity in football, with rumored connections to the Los Angeles Chargers, Las Vegas Raiders, and Chicago Bears.
Michigan is looking to extend Harbaugh and, from alleged reports, pay him nearly $12.5 million per season, with caveats he does not seek out NFL jobs in 2024.
More Sports News
As ESPN roots itself more and more into the SEC brand of football, I don’t expect much love from Bristol for the Big Ten. Conversely I don’t expect FOX, CBS, and NBC to be sending love letters to the SEC either.
The difference between the two broadcasting pairs is ESPN carries more influence and holds the cards to the entire New Year’s Six, College Football Playoff, and the College Football Playoff ranking shows. On Championship Saturday before Selection Sunday, ESPN showed the rooms where the Committee was lavishly watching football, and with the games on their network, they cast much influence.
The importance of Finebaum seeing the light and saying the title won’t be tainted is that it gives Michigan an opportunity to be recognized as a true champion. There will be many who will still shun Michigan and consider them cheaters. Finebaum, by starting the narrative, reduces the number of those calling Michigan cheaters.
What Finebaum won’t mention, and something I mentioned following the Ohio State game, was the following about Team 144, “they embody the “Spirit of Michigan” and the loyalty and determination they exhibited during the last three weeks defeating Penn State on the road, being tested by Maryland, and then defeating Ohio State displayed this team is as talented as any to wear the Michigan winged helmet.”
Whatever comes of the NCAA investigation for Harbaugh and staff is what it is, but what this team accomplished, Finebaum realized that no asterisk is required if they become national champions.
