Paul Finebaum tries to run damage control with Michigan fans after CFP Win

Paul Finebaum has taken every shot you could possibly come up with at the Michigan Wolverines and Jim Harbaugh in the wake of the program's sign-stealing scandal, and now he's having to backtrack.

With the Wolverines ousting Alabama in the Rose Bowl and advancing to the CFP National Championship Game in Houston, Finebaum had to start his damage control and say the Wolverines are not going to be tainted, a comment he made previously about the possibility, should they somehow beat Washington and win the title.

"I don’t think so, And I know what I said and I know what many others said," Finebaum said on ESPN's Get Up (h/t On3). "... College football right now, it is such a mess. And while a lot of us find what we believe the case to be here, to be repugnant, almost everything about college football right now is repugnant. So I think Michigan if they win, they’ll hoist the trophy. There’ll be haters out there, but most people I think are gonna go ‘congratulations, you are the best team.'"

But didn't Finebaum say that Michigan should let Harbaugh walk to the NFL? And has he not been consistent with that? Why is it so persistent to send Harbaugh to the NFL and out of the NCAA?

Paul Finebaum tries to provide damage control after Michigan reaches CFP National Championship.

It's certainly not a foregone conclusion that Michigan will win a national championship. If Alabama is fast, then it's hard to describe Washington. The Huskies have blazing speed and playmakers everywhere with Michael Penix Jr., the Heisman Trophy runner-up, along with Rome Odunze and much more, even if running back Dillon Johnson is unable to play due to injury.

These two programs also have plenty of history when it comes to a national championship. Washington claimed its last title back in 1991 when the Huskies, then led by eventual No. 1 overall pick Steve Emtman, beat Michigan in the Rose Bowl to clinch the national championship. Now it'll be flipped as the Wolverines' vaunted defense will have to stop the high-powered Huskies offense in Houston.

Finebaum may have provided damage control in the public forum, but with such a stark change of tune, one has to wonder if there is still any part of him hoping for. Washington win. As for the Wolverines, they need no distractions and no outside noise.