Analyst Paul Finebaum has been covering college football for decades and has never been shy about his opinions. Michigan has been a particular target this offseason, and on June 27, he went further.

A caller on The Paul Finebaum Show pointed out that Michigan was missing from Finebaum's list of most hated programs. Finebaum's answer explained exactly where he stands.

"I don't really take Michigan that seriously in football right now," Finebaum said on The Paul Finebaum Show. "And maybe, maybe that will change under Kyle Whittingham, but it's hard. Just hard to get much emotion."

Michigan is not a program without talent or history. But back-to-back disappointing seasons after a national title have left real questions about where the program stands heading into 2026.

"Once Harbaugh left, it felt like that program just flatlined," Finebaum said on The Paul Finebaum Show. "They're just not that relevant. And I'm sorry. I can't get upset about Michigan. They cheated and stole a national championship three years ago."

That cheating accusation points directly to the Connor Stalions sign-stealing saga. In 2023, Michigan was found to have used an off-books analyst to steal hand signals from opposing teams by scouting them in person before games, per The Detroit News.

The scandal engulfed the program for the entire season. Harbaugh was suspended for three games and later faced a 10-year show-cause penalty from the NCAA.

Michigan still walked away with the national championship that year, finishing 15-0 and beating Washington in the title game. Finebaum praised Harbaugh for it at the time. That praise didn't last, though, once the NCAA investigation started digging deeper.

Harbaugh eventually left for the LA Chargers, and that's really where things started sliding for the program. Moore's first year in charge ended at 8-5. Year two looked better with a 9-4 finish, except that Michigan still didn't make the playoffs.

What Michigan needs to do to prove Paul Finebaum wrong in 2026

The Athletic placed Michigan at No. 16 in its preseason poll in June. That is not where a program with Michigan's resources and history expects to sit.

Whittingham opens the season at home against Western Michigan on September 5 before Oklahoma visits Ann Arbor in Week 2. Those first two games will give the clearest early signal of where this team actually is.

Whittingham believes he can win the national title with the Wolverines, and that's the reason behind his taking up the head coach job at Michigan instead of retiring.

"Michigan is a special place -- a legitimate opportunity to win a national championship," Whittingham said, per The Wolverine. "It has happened here. So, I looked at it as a final challenge."

Finebaum said the door is open for Whittingham to change the conversation. Getting to the College Football Playoff would do exactly that.

Do you think Michigan will silence Finebaum with a strong 2026 season under Whittingham? Let us know in the comments.

Read more at the Michigan Football Community

Written by

Farheen Fathima

Edited by

Zaid Quraishi