Paul Finebaum Gets Unexpected Reception From OSU Fanbase Despite Wife’s Strong Disapproval

“He’s just one of these coaches that just gets freaked out… I literally don’t think he can handle the heat.” At this point, Paul Finebaum has built a literal career out of bashing Ryan Day and the Buckeyes. From calling the roster under Day the “worst coached teams” to going on to claim that anyone who even considers Ryan Day as a Top 3 Coach in the country is “foolish.” The SEC’s loudest voice never misses a chance to throw shade north of the Mason-Dixon. And yet—time after time—Day’s Buckeyes keep showing up to spoil his sermons.

So it wasn’t shocking when Finebaum opened 2025 hyping Texas and Arch Manning like they were the second coming of Tim Tebow. “I expect Texas to beat Ohio State, and I think they’re going to beat them badly,” the SEC’s protector roared. Unfortunately, Day and Co. didnt get the memo. What followed that night was Matt Patricia‘s defense with Caleb Downs as the anchor, completely suffocating Arch Manning. Yeah, the Bucks only won 14-7, but watching that defense, without Jim Knowles, bully the life out of the No.1 team in the country was something Finebaum couldn’t have expected.

Ain’t no wonder “Pawl” went on to double down on his statement, saying, “My own wife [Linda Hudson] was criticizing me on Saturday night. Like, ‘How could you be so stupid?’” But you know the best part about this entire thing? We did hear chants of people wanting Finebaum fired from ESPN, but Buckeyes faithful don’t seem to agree. “I don’t see why you guys want him fired. Would it be as funny if all the media were stroking us all the time? I love winning after all the sh-t talk,” was what one fan pointed out on Reddit.

To go out there and win despite a “big dog” like Paul Finebaum trying to put you down has to be one of the best feelings out there. See, there is no sugarcoating it. Going into this Week 1 game, Steve Sarkisian and his boys did look elite.

And well, by the time we reached the 3rd quarter, Day’s offense did look a lot shaky. We already know how frustrated Jeremiah Smith was with his performance. It was like a revisit to the 2024 Bucks vs Longhorns game, where Smith was completely shut down by Sark’s D-line at a single pass for 3 yards.

But then again, Day and Brian Hartline didn’t waste time trying to take a shot in the dark. They fell back on Carnell Tate and the defense, and the final result was a 7-point win after a defensive slugfest.

Coming back to Finebaum, though, looks like Buckeyes fans on Reddit had a lot more to say to the SEC’s finest.

Paul Finebaum, a “shill” for ESPN?

“I enjoy sh—ing on Paul and his bad takes just as much as I enjoyed sh—ing on Mark May and his dumb takes about OSU a decade ago,” another fan wrote under the thread. Like, who wouldn’t enjoy watching “hot take artists” rave about random things? When you get to prove them wrong in the best possible way, there is no greater joy than that.

Another fan added, “He’s a shill for the SEC as is ESPN. You can’t take anything he says as sage wisdom, just the opposite.” Remember when Finebaum claimed that the “Big 10 have done nothing”? Well, other than winning 2 Natty of course. But can we really ignore how good those 2 Natty runs were? First, Michigan wipes the floor with Jim Harbaugh at the reins, then Ryan Day brings in what can arguably be called one of the best comebacks (or national championship runs)  in college football history.

Wild to say the Big 10 has nothing to offer. Regardless, one last fan mentioned, “He’s a pundit who gets paid for his opinions, and often, the more polarizing, the better. At least he owns in it when he’s this wrong.” Well, they weren’t wrong. Despite all the “wild” takes Finebaum has dished out over his years, he has owned up when he was wrong.

So, we guess, there is always a silver lining. Even one for Pawl.