Paul Finebaum under fire after Curt Cignetti, Indiana comments resurface

ESPN college football analyst Paul Finebaum has never been shy about firing off an unfiltered take that he knows will ruffle some feathers.

With that being said, the perceived SEC homer is taking some major heat for a stance that he took on Indiana's Curt Cignetti back in October. With programs around the country firing head coaches and jobs like Penn State opening up, Indiana pulled the trigger on a historic contract extension for the second-year head coach.

Indiana and Cignetti inked a deal that will pay him $93 million over the next eight years, which comes just one year after they had signed him to an extension worth $72 million.

When appearing on ESPN's "First Take," Finebaum was asked if Indiana made the right move by extending Cignetti, to which Finebaum responded, "They did not."

Finebaum suggested that Indiana should have waited to see how the season played out, likening Cignetti's situation to that of Mel Tucker at Michigan State, James Franklin at Penn State and Jimbo Fisher at Texas A&M, expressing they were all paid prematurely.

Stephen A. Smith: "Did Indiana make the right move with Cignetti?"

Paul Finebaum: " They did not...I'm still not convinced that Curt Cignetti is one of the top coaches in America." pic.twitter.com/sMtnmk4EfP
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) October 17, 2025

As expected, following Indiana's 27-21 win over Miami in the College Football Playoff on Monday, fans and analysts alike across college football made sure to let Finebaum know how ridiculous his take was.

"What’s really funny is this seems like it’s a video from when he was hired, but it’s from 3 months ago when Indiana was already the #2 team in the country. Anyone following the sport this season would have known this," wrote one fan.

"I’m going out on a limb here, but I think I’ll go ahead and say Indiana made the right move with Cignetti. Just what my gut is telling me," joked another.

"There are BAD takes.... and then there are ALL TIME BAD takes.. Paul Finebaum nailed the latter," suggested a third.

"Put it in the Louve of worst takes all time," declared one user.

🤡 https://t.co/MvdiBcP5oM
— Matt Leinart (@MattLeinartQB) January 20, 2026

"He was already the greatest HC in Indiana history after a year and half. Teams started firing their coaches, he was the top candidate for every job. Finebaum, being Finebaum," commented another.

"That take is colder than the weather," added Barstool's Frank Fleming.

"The Finebaum hate is flowing this morning, and for good reason. 🤣🤣," wrote another.

"Dumbest take of all time ⁉️," questioned former MLB star Eric Hosmer.

"This has been a tremendous season for people finally figuring out whose opinions they never need to take seriously about college football ever again," commented another.

SEC Nation Roman Harper (left) and Paul Finebaum (right). — SEC Nation Roman Harper (left) and Paul Finebaum (right) speak on the sideline. | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

In his two years at Indiana, Cignetti has now accumulated a 27-2 record. In that timeframe, he has led the program to two College Football Playoff appearances, won the program's first outright Big Ten title since 1945, won the program's first national championship in football and also became just the third team in college football history to post a 16-0 record in a season.

So, it does seem they made the right decision by extending Cignetti. As for Finebaum, he will continue to feel the wrath of non-SEC fans, as he actually promised before the season that he'd leave the country if an SEC team didn't win the championship.

Monday's championship between Indiana (Big Ten) and Miami (ACC), marked the third year in a row that an SEC team did not play for a championship.

Needless to say, Finebaum is on a bit of a cold streak when it comes to his takes.