Paul Finebaum gave Penn State football its accolades by saying its the best team in the Big Ten, but he has endless gripes with head coach James Franklin and his ability to win big games.
On Wednesday's episode on SportsCenter, Finebaum was asked to bury a team's chances of winning the College Football Playoff title.
His first answer? Defending national champion Ohio State.
Finebaum said the Buckeyes lost too much from last season regardless of the returning pieces they have. The details of their 2025 team aren't as sharp as they were in 2024, and he believes that'll kill their chances of being two-time consecutive champions.
He didn't stop at Ohio State. He didn't even stop at the Big Ten.
"How about two for the price of one? I just buried Ohio State. Give me that shovel back, I got one more team I'm going to finish off," Finebaum said. "And that's going to be the team that everybody thinks could be the best team."
Paul Finebaum buries Penn State's chances of winning the 2026 CFP Championship Game, says James Franklin can't get it done
It's not surprise Finebaum dismissed the Nittany Lions once again this preseason.
In the AP Top 25 Preseason Poll, Penn State earned the No. 2 spot behind Texas. Even with an SEC school — Finebaum's pick to win the championship — he was displeased with Franklin's team's placement. He said at the end of July that the Nittany Lions are facing the most pressure and that he doesn't believe they'll handle it well. On top of that, he called out Franklin for having a "cupcake" non-conference schedule.
“I hate to beat up on [Franklin], he’s such a nice man and he's a very good coach,” Finebaum said on SportsCenter. “But he’s never won what I would call a major, big-time, have-to-win game, and I don’t think he’s going to do it this year. He may get to the national championship game, but he will not win it.”
If Franklin can prove he can win a big game, starting with Oregon in Week 5, attitudes might shift. Ohio State and Indiana are the only other two tests during the season that Penn State will have to prove itself.
Just one loss of those three games will have Finebaum shaking his head, even more so if the Nittany Lions go on to lose the Big Ten Championship Game. For Finebaum to pleased with their performance, they'll have to prove him wrong every step of the way all the way through the CFP Championship Game.
It's a year of expectations and pressure ahead for Franklin and Penn State, and Finebaum won't lay off the horn until they get the job done and get over the hump.