Sean McDonough wasn’t having it.
The veteran announcer, who, alongside Greg McElroy, ranked second in Awful Announcing’s 2024 college football announcer rankings, was in rare form Friday night as he took the Hoosiers to task. In a game that gave him and his partner little to work with, McDonough didn’t hold back, calling it exactly as he saw it.
McDonough has built a reputation for his fearless honesty.
This is the announcer who went to bat for SMU’s inclusion and isn’t shy about criticizing officials when warranted. It’s part of what makes him one of the best in the business — and why he reportedly gets texts from Verne Lundquist after his broadcasts.
As the clock wound down on Indiana’s lackluster performance in the first game of the expanded playoff, McDonough didn’t sugarcoat anything. He ripped off the Band-Aid and labeled the opening game of the 12-team CFP for what it was: a “dud.”
“To be honest, this game’s been a little bit of a dud. I don’t think anybody would deny that. Disappointing; I think most of us thought it would be a more competitive game,” said McDonough. “[I] know there will be a lot of analysis going forward about whether Indiana was worthy of this. But, still, really cool for our crew to be here; the first non-NBC home game at Notre Dame for the Fighting Irish since 1990.”
“To be honest, this game’s been a little bit of a dud. I don’t think anybody would deny that. Disappointing; I think most of us thought it would be a more competitive game… There will be a lot of analysis going forward about whether Indiana was worthy of this.” – Sean McDonough pic.twitter.com/DcEET7oCUC
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) December 21, 2024
Perhaps it’s fair to say that NBC didn’t mind sitting out that narrative.
The narrative McDonough spotlighted — whether Indiana deserved its playoff spot — loomed large as Notre Dame ushered in a new era of the College Football Playoff with a convincing 27-17 win.
“Well, the narrative is going to be, again, should Indiana have been in?” McDonough added. “The one thing I didn’t understand when we did the ACC Championship Game — Clemson played SMU — and a lot of people were saying, ‘Well, if SMU doesn’t win the championship, they’re probably out; Alabama’s going to be in.’ I didn’t understand why Indiana wasn’t included in that conversation. I didn’t understand — I know they were 11-1 — but what was it about their résumé said they were clearly more deserving than SMU or Alabama?”
McElroy offered an explanation, suggesting it had to do with the Big Ten and how convincing Indiana’s 11-1 regular season looked.
After all, playing in an 18-team conference naturally boosts a team’s résumé, but Indiana’s wasn’t bulletproof. Sure, they played the two teams — Washington and Michigan — that competed for a National Championship just a season prior. But Curt Cignetti’s squad didn’t deliver a convincing win over a top-25 opponent, despite his claims to the contrary.
“I think they need to lose the assumption that the SEC and the Big Ten are clearly head and shoulders above everybody else, particularly the Big Ten,” McDonough stated. “I mean, the SEC has the recent [history], Alabama, Georgia, but the Big Ten’s won two National Championships in college football since when 2002? That’s 22 seasons… I don’t understand why there’s this presumption. It seems from many that the Big Ten, in particular, is so much better than the ACC or the Big 12; I’m not sure what that’s based on.
“There’s a lot of talk about strength of schedule; well, you’re playing each other. So, if you just assume, ‘Well, our league’s better than everybody else, so therefore our strength…’ What if your league isn’t better than everybody else? Is your strength of schedule better than everybody else?”
McDonough doesn’t get it.
“‘Our strength of schedule is the best because we play everybody else in our league, and we’re just assuming our league’s better than everybody else,'” he mockingly quipped.
“What was it about [Indiana’s] resume that said they were clearly more deserving than SMU or Alabama?… I think they need to lose the assumption that the SEC and the Big 10 are clearly head & shoulders above everybody else, particularly the Big 10…” – Sean McDonough 🏈🎙️#CFP pic.twitter.com/tPHIjNXGw6
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) December 21, 2024
McDonough’s pointed criticism wasn’t just about Indiana — it was a broader indictment of the assumptions propping up college football’s elite. But it’s also just one game, and there isn’t enough data yet to say the 12-team playoff seeding process is flawed or that Indiana didn’t deserve a ticket to the dance.
[Awful Announcing on X]
