Can the Hoosiers win back-to-back national championships? College football analyst Paul Finebaum does not think so. In fact, after making a bold prediction about it, he received online backlash.
Now, he’s come back and doubled down on his take.
Paul Finebaum Reiterates 2026 Bold Prediction for Indiana Hoosiers
Finebaum didn’t mince words with his recent bold prediction regarding the Hoosiers. After a fairy-tale season a year ago, Finebaum says people need to chill out on Indiana in 2026.
The college football analyst recently said Indiana is not winning the national championship this season, and plenty of people came after him for that take.
On Tuesday, he got a chance to respond on “First Take,” and he took the opportunity to double down.
“I am not taking back a single thing. Maybe I could have said it nicer. Maybe I could have been more diplomatic,” Finebaum said. “I didn’t know a single Indiana graduate until midway through last season, and now they are literally falling out of Amazon trucks. I don’t know what’s going on here.”
Finebaum predicted the Hoosiers would finish the regular season 10-2 and make the playoffs, but doesn’t have belief in Indiana past that point.
“I think Indiana is a really good team. I predicted they’ll go to the playoffs. They’re probably 10-2. I’m worried about their offensive line,” Finebaum said. “Worried about the secondary. Worried about the quarterback. Yes, the schedule, which I went into.
“I can’t wait to hear you brag a little bit more because your time of bragging is about over.”
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Finebaum’s last sentence was targeted at “First Take” host Shae Cornette, who is an Indiana graduate.
While Finebaum doesn’t believe the Hoosiers will go back-to-back, he doesn’t think the program’s run last season was a fluke. Curt Cignetti certainly started something at Indiana, and many believe he’ll keep it going for years to come.
However, the Hoosiers had a lot of moving parts this offseason, with players heading to the NFL, led by Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza.
They had to be active in the transfer portal, and they were. But getting all of those new pieces to work together is easier said than done.
According to PFN’s College Football Power Rankings, the program enters the program as the No. 3-ranked team in the country with a 27.50 rating, trailing only Ohio State (28.75) and Oregon (27.75).
