Paul Finebaum Reveals How Unimpressed He is With Michigan, Big Ten After Back-to-Back National Titles originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The college football world was flipped on its head in 2023-24 when the Michigan Wolverines won the national championship despite the suspension of their head coach Jim Harbaugh, now with the Los Angeles Chargers.
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The Wolverines’ title was followed up by a second Big Ten crown, seized by the Ohio State Buckeyes and coach Ryan Day at the conclusion of the 2024-25 season.
The two Big Ten powers’ back-to-back championships ended a streak of four straight titles from SEC schools Georgia, Alabama, and LSU.
On Saturday, lightning rod college football analyst Paul Finebaum shared his latest opinions on the Big Ten, making a 2025-26 title prediction while daydreaming out loud about the end of the Big Ten’s current streak.
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Dec 7, 2024; Atlanta, GA, USA; ESPN announcer Paul Finebaum before the 2024 SEC Championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images
“Who’s going to win the national championship, and is it going to be an SEC team?” Finebaum was asked by Netflix Sports Club host Dani Klupenger.
“It is,” Finebaum replied. “And by the way, if it’s not, I’m going to leave the country because I am so sick and tired of being harassed by Big Ten fans on our show,” Finebaum added.
“The Big Ten has literally done nothing,” Finebaum added. “They’ve won two national championships. Michigan won one two years ago. They’ve won one and a half national championships, I think, and before that, in 70 years. And they act like they invented football,” Finebaum continued, unfavorably comparing the Wolverines’ recent run to the Alabama Crimson Tide’s previous string of success.
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The Wolverines and Buckeyes are both expected to be included in the top 15 of the 2025-26 preseason polls with Ohio State expected to make the top ten and the Wolverines likely in the 15-20 range.
The Buckeyes open with Finebaum’s national championship pick, the Texas Longhorns, at Ohio Stadium while the Wolverines will also face a high powered SEC foe in Oklahoma during week two of the season.
Finebaum said he expects “Little Tenners,” his show’s fans’ nickname for Big Ten fans, to stop calling after Arch Manning, Steve Sarkisian and the ‘Horns win the national championship on January 20, 2026.
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Related: Former SEC QB Was ‘Balling’ In NFL Debut on Saturday
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 9, 2025, where it first appeared.
