{"id":695893,"date":"2026-01-22T08:41:13","date_gmt":"2026-01-22T08:41:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/695893\/"},"modified":"2026-01-22T08:41:13","modified_gmt":"2026-01-22T08:41:13","slug":"nobody-was-more-incorrect-than-me","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/695893\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Nobody was more incorrect … than me’"},"content":{"rendered":"

We all know where Paul Finebaum\u2019s allegiances stand. His SEC favoritism was off the charts in Awful Announcing\u2019s inaugural college football media bias rankings<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But after Indiana completed its undefeated run to a national title on Monday, even Finebaum is acknowledging reality. He was wrong about the Hoosiers. He was wrong about Curt Cignetti. And now he\u2019s extending an olive branch to those in Bloomington.<\/p>\n

A mea culpa with a side of crow about the Hoosiers this season\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/MCC58o4vbf<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Paul Finebaum (@finebaum) January 21, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThere can be debate about 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,\u201d Finebaum began. \u201cAnd what made it even more amazing is how people misunderstood 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

Did anyone see this coming? Finebaum has been one of Indiana\u2019s biggest detractors<\/a> all season. Now we\u2019re getting a full-throated mea culpa. Sure, it took the Hoosiers winning the whole damn thing before Finebaum was ready for this type of retrospection. But in today\u2019s sports media environment, we\u2019re usually lucky when people hold themselves accountable at all.<\/p>\n

Maybe this is why Finebaum decided against a run at the U.S. Senate as a Republican<\/a>. He\u2019s just too honest! Why admit you were wrong about something when you can simply claim you were saying \u201cice land\u201d and not \u201cIceland.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

Not Finebaum. Despite his crystal clear SEC allegiances, he\u2019s at least willing to admit when he gets it wrong.<\/p>\n

Perhaps this is Finebaum\u2019s response to the resurfacing of some of his cold Indiana takes, particularly this one from October when he said he was \u201cnot convinced\u201d Curt Cignetti was one of the top coaches in the country.<\/p>\n

Stephen A. Smith: \u201cDid Indiana make the right move with Cignetti?\u201d<\/p>\n

Paul Finebaum: \u201d They did not\u2026I\u2019m still not convinced that Curt Cignetti is one of the top coaches in America.\u201d pic.twitter.com\/sMtnmk4EfP<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) October 17, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

There\u2019s a fine line between caping for a particular viewpoint or perspective and risking your reputation<\/a> as a credible sports commentator. Paul Finebaum knows he needs to toe the rights side of that line before people begin to view him as a caricature, rather than someone worth listening to.<\/p>\n

That means in moments like this, where he\u2019s clearly wrong, he needs to own it. And he did.<\/p>\n

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