‘They Are Horrible,’ ‘You Screwed Up Oklahoma’ — Paul Finebaum Slams Big Ten Conference After Earlier Sounding Alarm on SEC
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Paul Finebaum spent much of the offseason doing something that once seemed almost unnatural: conceding college football supremacy to the Big Ten. Two weeks into the 2026 season, he is already trying to take it back.
The ESPN personality unloaded Saturday after the Michigan Wolverines’ 17-10 win over the Oklahoma Sooners, blaming Oklahoma for wasting what he viewed as the SEC’s best chance to bury the conference Finebaum had spent months praising.
Paul Finebaum Blasts Big Ten, Oklahoma After Michigan Win
Finebaum’s frustration boiled over during SEC Nation from Auburn. He began by revisiting Oklahoma’s loss in Ann Arbor before turning the segment into a broadside against the Big Ten.
“I am so boiling here, for something that happened last Saturday in Ann Arbor,” Finebaumsaid on-air. “Oklahoma, you let everyone down and I’ll tell you what, the Big Ten absolutely sucks at football. They are horrible.”
Finebaum then acknowledged the obvious irony. After the Indiana Hoosiers completed a third consecutive national championship season for the Big Ten in January, he spent the offseason arguing that the balance of power had shifted away from the SEC.
“I spent the whole offseason embarrassing myself saying the Big Ten’s the best conference,” Finebaum said. “And they go out and lay an egg. And if Oklahoma had done what they should have done, we would be dancing on the Big Ten’s grave. We’d be dancing on the table. You screwed up, Oklahoma. I’m mad.”
Finebaum’s anger was delivered with plenty of theatrical flair, but the loss itself gave him a clear target.
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Michigan held Oklahoma scoreless in the first half and limited the Sooners to 10 points overall. The Wolverines now own an 82.8 PFSNDefense Impact score, ranking No. 23 nationally.
Oklahoma had opportunities after halftime. John Mateer led two scoring drives to erase a 10-0 deficit, but after the Sooners tied the game, Michigan turned an interception into Jordan Marshall’s game-winning 1-yard touchdown.
Finebaum Reverses Course on Big Ten-SEC Debate
Finebaum’s rant represented a dramatic reversal from where he stood after Indiana’s national championship. HisJanuary apology to Curt Cignetti included a blunt concession that the Big Ten had become college football’s best conference after the Michigan Wolverines, Ohio State Buckeyes and Indiana Hoosiers won three straight national titles.
The opening weeks gave Finebaum ammunition to change his tune. The Oregon Ducks lost to the Oklahoma State Cowboys, the Wisconsin Badgers were blown out by the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, and the Ohio State Buckeyes surrendered a 20-point fourth-quarter lead in a loss to the Texas Longhorns. Michigan’s victory over Oklahoma became the Big Ten’s most notable early nonconference win.
That only made the Sooners an easier punching bag.
Finebaum even finished by demanding the Auburn Tigers get back last season’s game in Norman, joking that Oklahoma “stole the game from Auburn.”
The Sooners can start repairing the damage against the New Mexico Lobos on Saturday before traveling to face the Georgia Bulldogs on Sept. 26. As far as Finebaum is concerned, though, Oklahoma already missed the chance he wanted most: giving him permission to dance on the Big Ten’s grave.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.
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