Ohio State got up off the mat after a loss to Michigan at home to go on a historic run to win the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff. It was a veteran team with a lot of talent that finally began to play like the best team in the country, leaving a several top ten teams in its wake on the way to a memorable season.
Despite losing 14 players off the roster to the NFL draft, there are many who still believe there’s enough talent on the roster for Ohio State to defend its national title and be right there at the end again. After all, OSU has the two best players in college football with Jeremiah Smith on offense and Caleb Downs on defense, plus a five-star talent that could be taking the reigns of the offense in Julian Sayin.
But not everyone thinks Ohio State has what it takes.
ESPN’s Paul Finebaum is one of those who think the Buckeyes don’t quite have what it takes to repeat. When appearing on “Get Up,” he didn’t beat around the bush when asked if Ohio State could repeat.
“I don’t like Ohio State,” Finebaum said. “I think Ohio State is going to lose in the opener against Texas, and they are going to struggle to make the playoffs, let alone win it all.”
Finebaum stayed on Ohio State in addressing Smith’s “promise” to beat Michigan the next two seasons with some critical words for Ryan Day.
“I’m glad to see someone on the Ohio State lineup maybe do something more than just mouthing words because Jeremiah sounds serious,” Finebaum said. “Ryan Day has promised after every loss not to lose again, and he continues to lose again.
“They are the defending national champions, so even clowns like me on the fourth of July are not going to call for a firing of a coach because he loses one game. But that is a game he has to deal with at some point. But that national championship game will pay a lot of bills, probably, yes, including another loss to Michigan.”
Finebaum has never been short on criticism and controversy, and his critiques of teams often go over the top, but at least you know what you are getting from him. He doesn’t mince words, and in this case, he clearly believes Ohio State is a far cry from the team we saw last season, so much so that he doesn’t even think the roster is good enough to easily get into the College Football Playoff.
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This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: Paul Finebaum makes bold claim about Ohio State chances of repeating as national champions
Reporting by Phil Harrison, Buckeyes Wire / Buckeyes Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
