“Stupid”: Paul Finebaum Confesses Even Wife’s Upset After National Humiliation & Arch Manning Blunder

Entering the season, no one leaned harder into the Texas hype than Paul Finebaum. “I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. This [Arch] is the best player we have seen from every aspect since Tim Tebow.” And he didn’t stop there. Just last week, the analyst had made an ambitious prophecy, saying, “I expect Texas to beat Ohio State, and I think they’re going to beat them badly.” However, as the action hit the ground at The Ohio Stadium, Columbus, the reality couldn’t be any more different. Ryan Day’s team took a gutsy 14-7 victory. So, as expected, the relentless praise turned into a blunt assessment soon after—not just from Finebaum but also from his wife.

During an appearance on The Matt Barrie Show a few hours ago, the 70-year-old conceded defeat. “I come away far more impressed with Ohio State than I thought I would be. So, that shouldn’t surprise anyone, but it surprised me…Texas is a story. There’s no getting around it. And you know, Sarkisian… for all the praise that he has received [for] this new age play caller, looked pretty bad. This is another big-time elite defense that outmatched him, and that’s becoming more of a trend right now. And I think if you’re a Texas fan, you need to be concerned,” Finebaum began, before hilariously adding, “My own wife [Linda Hudson] was criticizing me on Saturday night. Like, ‘How could you be so stupid?'” But is the college football pundit concerned? Not at all.

Defending his position, and how one wrong prediction doesn’t make a difference, he clarified, “But that’s fine. One thing I’ve never liked are people in my position who only let you know after the fact that they called the game. You and I, correct? We make the calls before the game. I got a lot of those emails: ‘Hey, by the way, I knew that was going to happen’. Nobody didn’t. Have at it. I mean, this is fine. This is not that serious, Matt.” Unfortunately, Manning’s performance was certainly underwhelming for a player who entered the season touted as a Heisman contender. 

On Saturday, the Texas Longhorns quarterback completed 17-of-30 passes for 170 yards, with one touchdown offset by a costly interception (by Ohio State cornerback Jermaine Matthews Jr). What’s more concerning is for three quarters, Manning was 0-for-5 on throws longer than five yards. It was only after halftime adjustments with HC Steve Sarkisian that the signal-caller managed a modest resurgence. He completed 4 of 7 passes for 105 yards and a touchdown on passes of more than 5 yards. At this point, maybe it’s time for Finebaum to slow down the Texas and Manning hype train and just give credit where it’s due.

And that is Matt Patricia’s outstanding Buckeyes’ defense. Caleb Downs especially lit it up, shutting down big plays and breaking up key passes throughout the game. Yet, while the analyst described Manning’s outing as “underwhelming,” “uncomfortable,” and downright “terrible”,  he also continued to temper his criticism with a measure of defense. “I don’t think everybody should panic yet. This is the first game as a full-fledged starter. I believe Texas will be in the playoffs in December, and I think Arch Manning will learn from this. And I’m not saying that like a parent. He’s not my son or grandson, although I wish he was. He will get better. He just simply got bamboozled by a much better defensive coordinator.” 

The irony is Finebaum had also endorsed Alabama’s superiority over the Seminoles, a prediction that unraveled in a 31-17 defeat for the Crimson Tide. The combined setbacks made clear that the veteran’s confidence in his projections may need to be reconsidered. What do you think?