If we know anything, it’s that death and taxes are here to stay, but also that Paul Finebaum loves him some SEC football. However, what has been somewhat shocking over the last few years since Finebaum became a more national analyst with ESPN, is his relatively unbiased stance on things.
He has actually been rather kind to Ohio State over the last few years on several instances and we have another one thanks to our friends at Rutgers Wire.
When speaking to our sister site, Finebaum provided what his top four teams would be in the College Football Playoff Rankings. As a reminder, the initial and official CFP rankings have a top five of Tennessee (1), Ohio State (2), Georgia (3), and Clemson (4).
However, here is what Finebaum believes that Ohio State should be No. 1. That’s right, Mr. SEC himself believes a Big Ten team should be on top of other SEC teams.
You can pick yourself up off the floor now.
ESPN’s Paul Finebaum talks the impact of Tennessee at Georgia this weekend as well as Michigan at Ohio State to close out the Big Ten regular season. https://t.co/VECCw1UqCy
— RutgersWire (@RutgersWire) November 5, 2022
In fact, PAWL has two Big Ten teams in his top four, with (not so shockingly) two SEC teams. Here’s how Finebaum believes things should look.
- Ohio State
- Georgia
- Tennessee
- Michigan
According to Finebaum, he believes the CFP really comes down to the Big Ten and SEC.
“Right now the playoff really comes down to several games – Tennessee–Georgia and Michigan–Ohio State, Finebaum told Rutgers Wire. “Those winners are near locks even without having played conference games.”
“Naturally, Alabama figures into the equation should it win out. Clemson would also be automatic if it finishes undefeated. The school with the biggest issue is Michigan- with a loss. The non -conference schedule will severely hurt. Let’s not forget Illinois. With a win over Michigan and a conference title, the Illini could also punch a ticket. Believe TCU will lose knocking the Big 12 out and the Pac-12 doesn’t have a clear path.”
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