ESPN college football pundit Paul Finebaum may typically focus most of his attention on the SEC, but in an appearance on 850 ESPN Cleveland Friday, the analyst and radio host had some interesting words about a couple teams in the Big Ten that might perk the ears of Buckeye fans.

Finebaum praised the success of the Ohio State program, but almost immediately undercut it by poking holes in the caliber of opponents in the Big Ten, with his most caustic criticism reserved for the Buckeyes’ archrival to the north.

“I know Penn State’s good. I know Wisconsin can be good, but when your biggest rival is a laughing stock, when your biggest rival is coached by a buffoon named Jim Harbaugh, you’re in good shape,” Finebaum said. “It’s stealing.”

It’s no secret that the Buckeyes have won eight in a row in The Game, and 15 of the past 16 meetings with Michigan if you include 2010’s Ohio State victory that was subsequently vacated.

Under Harbaugh as head coach, the Wolverines have gone 0-5 against the Buckeyes in the past six years, with last year’s matchup being canceled due to a COVID-19 outbreak in the Ann Arbor-based program.

Finebaum insinuated that Ohio State head coach Ryan Day, who took the reins of the program from Urban Meyer following the 2018 season, has had no shortage of luck in seeing the success that he has in the past two years, attributing it in part to the state of affairs at Michigan.

“Ryan Day — I’m going to the lottery window with him,” Finebaum said. “How do you follow one of the greatest coaches in modern college football history and improve the product? A lot of it has to do with the fact that your fiercest rival, your bitter rival, your legendary 100-year rival can’t see straight. Things are so bad at Michigan — what do they do? Extend his (Harbaugh’s) contract.”

Still, Finebaum did give the Buckeyes props, calling the program “invincible” in many ways, and admiring Ohio State’s acumen on the recruiting trail, even if he thinks its intra-conference competition is “not that great.”

Finebaum also discussed Thursday’s potential 12-team College Football Playoff expansion news, and said the move would be “progressive” and good for the average fan of the sport.

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However, Finebaum isn’t of the belief that an expanded field will help the Wolverines make a deep postseason run in the near future.

“I don’t think 12 is enough for Harbaugh, maybe 24, maybe 48,” Finebaum said.

Michigan has never appeared in the CFP, and last won the Big Ten as a co-champion back in 2004. In fact, 2016 and ‘18 were the only two years during the CFP era that Michigan ranked in the top 12 on selection day.

A change in the postseason format may not be coming in the next couple years, even if the new model is approved, but Finebaum said that if Michigan continues to come up short even after the expansion, Harbaugh’s seat will become considerably warmer in short order.

“If Harbaugh couldn’t make the top four and now he doesn’t make the top 12, do you have any compelling argument to keep your job?” Finebaum said.