There’s one result that would surprise Paul Finebaum in Monday night’s national title game.
Ohio State and Notre Dame will meet in the College Football Playoff National Championship in Atlanta. The Buckeyes took down Texas in the Cotton Bowl last Friday while the Fighting Irish beat Penn State in the Orange Bowl one week ago to earn their spots in the matchup. Ohio State is favored by eight points as of Thursday.
Earlier today, Finebaum appeared on “The Matt Barrie Show” and said he would be surprised to see the Irish spring the upset, citing Ohio State’s talent level and the way the Buckeyes have looked lately, particularly in CFP victories over Tennessee and Oregon.
“I cannot imagine Notre Dame winning the game,” Finebaum said. “Something tells me I’ll probably hear that statement again Tuesday if I’m wrong. I just can’t. I know it’s cliche to say, ‘Matt, Notre Dame is really good. And I see it coming down to a late —’ I don’t see it. To me, this looks like the first couple of games by Ohio State.
“I think the Texas game was the outlier. Texas was really good. They’re sneaky good. I think Notre Dame is solid but they’re missing a couple of key components. I think Jeremiyah Love being banged up is a problem. I think losing a lineman is a problem. Their special teams are fantastic, but Ohio State is fantastic across the board. It’s just a matter of — what level do they play to? And I think if [the Buckeyes] play to a high level, this game is not close.”
Before Notre Dame fans get too angry with Finebaum, he did say that Ohio State was “the bad guys on the street” in this game and the Irish were “likable.”
If we’re being honest, Finebaum is not the only expert who feels like Ohio State should win decisively. Former Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer said he expects the favorites to cover the spread.
“Ohio State covers the spread,” Meyer said this week, via Notre Dame Fighting Irish on SI. “I think Notre Dame is going to, the defense is going to keep this thing close… I think this is a low-scoring game at halftime, and I think the Buckeyes walk away in the second half.”
Notre Dame has won before this season as the underdog. We’ll see if the Irish have one more surprise up their sleeve.
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