Few media figures have offended Michigan supporters more than ESPN’s Paul Finebaum, who has repeatedly demanded that former head coach Jim Harbaugh be dismissed before 2021. But Finebaum had softened his criticism of Michigan after Harbaugh and the Wolverines overcame Ohio State to win three straight Big Ten titles as well as a national championship in the previous three seasons. Indeed, Finebaum found Sherrone Moore, the head coach of U-M, to be impressive during his recent presentation at Big Ten Media Days.
“It was so nice to hear a coach not make excuses,” Finebaum said on a recent ESPN First Take program. “I almost fell out of my chair here listening to that, unlike some of the other guys in the Big Ten.” That was a less-than-subtle dig at Ryan Day of Ohio State, whom Finebaum and Lincoln Riley of USC had recently criticized. Finebaum remarked that he thinks the Wolverines will make the College Football Playoffs in Moore’s first season as head coach in Ann Arbor, despite acknowledging the difficulty of Michigan’s schedule in 2024.
“I believe they have a chance. I would take them right now, Finebaum remarked. “They would need to alter the results of a few games that they are now favored to lose in order to do that. They play Texas, one of the top three or four teams, early in the second week of the season. Later in the season, they host another top-three team, Oregon. Of course, toward the end, we are aware of Ohio State.” Even though Finebaum criticized Day earlier in the summer, he believes Michigan has a good chance of making it to the CFP this year and doesn’t think the Wolverines will defeat the Buckeyes four times in a row. “I believe they can if they can prevail in Texas, Oregon, or Washington.
