Tennessee received its share of criticism for canceling an upcoming game with Army. Instead, the Week 3 matchup on Sept. 17, 2022, is set to be played against Akron at Neyland Stadium.

The optics of nixing a matchup with one of the top Group of 5 programs in the country and replacing it with one of the doormat teams in FBS don’t necessarily look good. But current athletic director Danny White and head coach Josh Heupel can’t be faulted: this appeared to be in the works before their arrivals.

Paul Finebaum was asked about it on Thursday, and he certainly didn’t hold back when asked about his feelings.

“I think it’s pathetic,” he said on “The Paul Finebaum Show”, according to 247Sports. “First of all, whenever you play a service academy I think it’s a tribute to your institution and it shows great respect for them. And if you don’t feel confident enough to beat a program like Army then your program’s in a world of hurt.”

As for what he thought about the Vols playing the Zips instead?

“I don’t want to see a game against Akron,” he added. “It’s a waste of time.”