Paul Finebaum issues mea culpa for comments about Indiana, calls Big Ten 'best conference in the country'

After Indiana sealed the Big Ten’s third consecutive national championship this week, SEC Network host Paul Finebaum issued a statement Wednesday. He offered a mea culpa after comments he made about the Hoosiers and Curt Cignetti this year.

Indiana became just the second program in college football history to go 16-0 after taking down Miami in Monday’s national championship game. That completed a historic turnaround for the Hoosiers under Cignetti, going from 3-9 before his arrival in 2024 to 27-2 since.

Throughout the year, Finebaum admitted he was one of the Indiana doubters and notably criticized the lucrative extension Cignetti received during the season. As a result, he apologized to Indiana – and he also called the Big Ten the top conference in college football.

“There can be debate on whether Indiana had the best season in college football history, but there can be no debate, it is the greatest story in the history of the game,” Finebaum said Wednesday on The Paul Finebaum Show. “What made it even more amazing is how people understood what Curt Cignetti was doing in Bloomington. Let me assure you, nobody was more incorrect in understanding that process than me.

“Almost everything I said throughout the season about him and about Indiana was wrong, and it was an epic failure on my part. There was no question Indiana was the best team, and yes, the Big Ten is the best conference in the country. We congratulate Coach Cignetti, Indiana and the Big Ten for an extraordinary run.”

Indiana entered the CFP as the No. 1 seed in the 12-team bracket after winning the Big Ten, but never trailed during its run to a first-ever title. Cignetti energized the program after taking over for Tom Allen last year as he led the Hoosiers to their first 10-win season in history.

But rumors swirled during the 2025 season as the coaching carousel began to spin, and some connected Cignetti to the Penn State opening after James Franklin’s firing. He then received a huge extension from Indiana worth $11.6 million annually, though it is set to increase due to a clause in the contract.

After that news came down, Paul Finebaum criticized Indiana’s decision to give Cignetti such a lucrative contract. He also questioned the Hoosiers coach’s standing compared to the rest of the top coaches in college football.

“Listen, I realize he might end up winning the national championship, and those that cover college football are very high on him,” Finebaum said Oct. 16. “But this is not how you make sound decisions. This is how you take your university to the ledge and at some point end up paying for it. … But you just mortgaged your university to an astronomical contract based on what? He didn’t beat anybody last year. And I know I’m going to be excoriated for sounding like that guy against Curt Cignetti, but I’m just being realistic.

“It’s too bad somebody didn’t say the same thing I’m saying about Jimbo Fisher or Mel Tucker or any of these other coaches that ended up with these ridiculous (buyouts). Well I did say this about James Franklin. So it’s a great day for Curt Cignetti, but I’ll make a prediction: that athletic director probably gets run out of there in about five years because they’re not going to be able to sustain this.”