Paul Finebaum: 'I'd frankly put an asterisk by Michigan if they win the national championship'

The Michigan program is currently embroiled in a sign-stealing scandal that has overtaken the college football world. At the same time, the Wolverines remain one of the best teams in the nation, ranked No. 3 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings, and remain in the hunt for both a Big Ten title and a national championship this season.

While debating the scandal on Get Up, Michigan’s success after the sign-stealing is alleged to begin, compared to before it started became a topic of conversation. That’s when analyst Paul Finebaum explained that he thinks a Michigan title would be tainted.

“I don’t think it’s coincidental,” Finebaum said. “I think it’s exactly what you see. When this started, he started winning again.”

Since the start of the 2021 season, Michigan is 34-3. As Heather Dinich added, TCU is one of the few teams that she was unable to confirm staffer Connor Stalions purchased tickets to scout in advance and the Wolverines ended up losing. The question, for many, is what kind of impact that scouting and sign-stealing actually had.

For Finebaum, those things had a massive impact.

“And back to the question you asked me, do I think it would be tainted? Yes, I do in the strongest possible language. I’d frankly put an asterisk by Michigan if they win the national championship. It will be that bogus based on what I believe — I’m not saying I know, what I believe.”

Even with some people, like Finebaum, expressing concerns about the validity of a title run for Michigan, the College Football Playoff committee has already made it clear that this is an NCAA and Big Ten issue, not a Playoff issue. The committee, which Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel is on, has already come out and said that it won’t consider the scandal when ranking the Wolverines.

Paul Finebaum on his reaction to Michigan potentially winning the national championship

Amid the debate on Get Up about the future of Michigan, Paul Finebaum was asked how he would react if there was no punishment for Michigan and they went on to the College Football Playoff and potentially a national championship.

“It would be outrage from the college football world and I think from many more people than that. Green, you just made the closing argument about why so many people here are upset. It doesn’t matter how many All-Americans Michigan has right now. It doesn’t matter how many first round draft choices they have, and they have a lot,” Finebaum said.

“What matters is there was a paradigm shift in this program. You laid it out. From about to get fired, a losing program, could not beat its biggest rival to suddenly the dominant team, not only in the Big Ten but perhaps in the entire country.”

On top of all that, Finebaum also pointed out that this isn’t the only issue that Michigan and head coach Jim Harbaugh are currently being investigated for.

“It’s not like nobody has ever thrown any dirt at Jim Harbaugh before. You also said he was suspended for three games. He’s currently under NCAA investigation. So, I don’t think you have to be a genius to come to any conclusions here other than something has changed within this program.”