Paul Finebaum admits he was wrong about Jim Harbaugh

Following ESPN’s reveal of the College Football Playoff final four and the entire top 25, SEC Network host Paul Finebaum went on record to admit he was wrong about Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh.

“I don’t know that I’ve seen anything quite like this,” Finebaum said. “And yeah, I’ve been hard on him. I may have called for his head a couple of times. And I think I was justified at the time because he was not doing the job. He had some good years and then the program fell on hard times.”

Finebaum: ‘This is the Jim Harbaugh Michigan went out and got’

Finebaum referenced the very public salary cut Harbaugh took after the 2020 season saw the Wolverines go 2-4 during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Mouth of the South also credited the coach’s ability to power through it and come out even better on the other side.

“He went all the way to the semifinals and lost to Georgia,” Finebaum said. “He finally exorcised his demons against the Buckeyes. And he did it all again this year. And I think that’s even more surprising because I think his team last year may have been, in some ways, more elite with some of the NFL defensive players.

“This is the Jim Harbaugh Michigan went out and got. This is the Jim Harbaugh that led Stanford to great success and took a team to the Super Bowl. I don’t know where that Jim Harbaugh has been but I’m glad he’s back because he’s right now at the top of the college football world again.”

Although the Wolverines secured their back-to-back win over Ohio State, the victory did not shut the Buckeyes out of the CFP like they may have hoped. Now, the two rivals could face off in the final.

“He has to be a little irritated today to see Ryan Day and Ohio State in the playoffs,” Finebaum added. “That did not go down well in Ann Arbor.”

Michigan opened as a nine-point favorite over TCU, according to Caesars Sportsbook. In the other CFP semifinal, Georgia is a seven-point favorite over Ohio State.