Just as Alabama seemed to find its footing in the playoffs, its next stop is against Curt Cignetti’s Indiana at the Rose Bowl. The Hoosiers, 13-0, come in as the favorite, forcing one of the SEC’s loudest critics to change his tune. ESPN Broadcaster Paul Finebaum now hesitantly accepts Cignetti’s role after calling the HC “annoying” a few days ago.

“Looking at that sheet that Alabama’s an underdog playing Indiana,” said Finebaum on ESPN’s December 21 podcast. “I was at a party last night, and some people said, ‘Well, is Indiana really good?’ I’m like, ‘Have you been on Mars the last couple of years?’ But they are really good. They’ve now got an elite coach in Cignetti.

If Indiana wins this game, then suddenly you talk about an all-Big 10 final. I think I promised I was leaving the country, which I’m not sure I remember saying, but I’m sure somebody will bring it up,” said Finebaum.

Even before the 2025 season, Curt Cignetti’s Indiana exploits were unquestionable. The head coach capped off a historic 11-win season, and many questioned Indiana’s non-conference slate, touting the performance to be a fluke.

Indiana in 2025 had Florida International, Western Illinois, and Charlotte in the three opening games. Factor in that the Hoosiers’ head coach wasn’t holding back in press conferences. The $93  million contracted head coach quickly targeted the SEC, defending his program’s scheduling. In the opening press conference, a sliver of arrogance was oozing from his face as he said, “I win Google me” to a reporter’s question.

That attitude didn’t sit well with Paul Finebaum. “Annoying. And there’s just something about this guy that has continued to get on my nerves,” said Finebaum. “I think you know me. I mean, I respect him to no end, but he’s brash. He’s over the top.” The ESPN broadcaster even questioned Cignetti’s contract extension, which made him the third-highest-paid head coach in the country.

“There is no way in the world that Curt Cignetti should be the third-highest-paid coach in the country,” said Finebaum. But now Cignetti has proved that his 2024 season wasn’t a fluke, and he means business now, aiming to win the national title.

Indiana currently has the 8th-ranked offense in the country, 4th-ranked defense, and a 3rd-ranked rushing defense, signaling a world-class D-line. Everything is falling in place nicely for Curt Cignetti. The odds for him to win a national title stand at +310, and Paul Finebaum may actually have to leave the country if Indiana beats Alabama and we have an all-Big Ten finale.

Finebaum picks Indiana despite Curt Cignetti’s aversion

Alabama is coming off a statement 34-24 win against Oklahoma in Norman. Ty Simpson dominated, passing for 232 yards without an interception. The D line notched 5 sacks and 7 TFLs and forced John Mateer into an interception. Plus, Bama limited OU to just 55 rushing yards, even greatly limiting Mateer’s rushing ability. Despite the win, though, Indiana is still the favorite, and even Finebaum agrees.

“Alabama’s an enigma. It has a couple of really bad losses. It can play at the highest level. And it just doesn’t do it very often. And Indiana has,” said Finebaum. “Brandwise, we got probably the second or third winningest program of all time versus the losingest. I understand why Indiana’s favorite. I understand all that,” said Finebaum.

Indiana is coming off a win against first-ranked OSU and also had a bye week to rest and recover. The same can’t be said for Alabama, which would be playing its game on January 1. That alone can play a factor in Indiana’s win. But even without that, Alabama was steamrolled by Georgia 7-28 and lost to Oklahoma in the regular season at home.

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Factor in that Bama barely managed a win in the Iron Bowl, and one would easily place Kalen DeBoer as the underdog. That’s exactly what Paul Finebaum did despite being a longtime Bama fan. Can anybody blame him? Probably not!