Icon Sportswire/Getty Images

Paul Finebaum Shows Clear Bias In Discussing Alabama vs. Indiana

Originally posted on The Spun | By Tzvi Machlin | Last updated Oct 30, 2025 12:17 PM ET

Another day, another hypothetical win for the SEC. This time it comes courtesy of ESPN's Paul Finebaum, who made it clear that he does not respect what the No. 2 ranked Indiana Hoosiers have achieved amid their history 8-0 start and highest ranking in school history.

In a recent interview, the voice of SEC sports talk gave some backhanded praise to the Hoosiers, complimenting them on their legendary road win over Oregon before remarking that they "would not be undefeated" if they had the same schedule as the Alabama Crimson Tide.

“I’d like to see Indiana go through the gauntlet that Alabama has gone through in the last five weeks. They would not be undefeated," Finebaum said dismissively.

Paul Finebaum: “I’d like to see Indiana go through the gauntlet that Alabama has gone through in the last five weeks. They would not be undefeated.” pic.twitter.com/5NUnZxYcbR
— The Buckeye Nut (@TheBuckeyeNut) October 30, 2025

There certainly is some difference in the "power level" of the teams that Indiana has faced versus the teams Alabama has faced, but not much. 10 of the 12 games on Alabama's schedule this year are against power conference teams versus nine for Indiana.

That being said, there is one difference between Alabama and Indiana that he did not mention: Blemishes. Alabama has a loss on the season already, a Week 1 blowout at the hands of unranked Florida State that looks worse and worse as the Seminoles sit at 3-4 on the year.

ATLANTA, GA - DECEMBER 07: Paul Finebaum of the SEC Network before the SEC Championship game between the Georgia Bulldogs and the LSU Tigers on December 07, 2019, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA.(Photo by Jeffrey Vest/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)Getty

Big Ten vs. SEC Fan Response

SEC fans obviously agreed with Finebaum, citing the difference in the number of ranked wins that the two teams have. As of writing, four of the teams that Alabama has already beaten are ranked in the top 25, whereas Oregon is the only team Indiana has beaten that is currently ranked.

But Big Ten fans pumped the brakes, pointing out that Indiana's road win over Oregon is more impressive than the "gauntlet" that the Crimson Tide have faced this year and that the AP top-25 rankings are a flawed metric for determining whether a team is good to begin with.

"I guess the gauntlet started after losing to the worst team in the ACC," one fan mocked.

"What gauntlet? Oh - you mean the one where you play a bunch of teams with artificially inflated poll rankings thanks to ESPN?" another wrote.

"It's a fantasy land gauntlet.......it's not real. They made it up. Wazzu basically beat Ole Miss in their stadium. You'll never convince me the SEC is not smoke and mirrors all propped up by ESPN," wrote a third.

"We wouldn’t have lost to Florida State," an Indiana fan said bluntly.

Sorry Paul, but the argument just isn't convincing this time around.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: