Ohio State and many other Big Ten teams are used to Paul Finebaum being critical of their program. Early in the offseason, the ESPN analyst was critical of all the players leaving and some of the moves they have made thereafter. However, after the last couple of weeks, even Finebaum is admitting the Buckeyes may have become the favorite for the national championship.
Ohio State The Favorite According to Paul Finebaum
Finebaum has been impressed with what the Buckeyes have been doing.
“Well, I don’t think anybody’s had a better haul than them and by the way, this is a program that probably needed that. Two weeks ago, three weeks ago, in the wake of the Missouri loss, things were reeling up there. Changes have been made. They’re excited with Bill O’Brien… I’m glad they are. I’m really not, but he may have played a role in Sayin committing, so that would be a good thing.
I have not seen anything quite like the roster change that Ohio State (had),” Finebaum said. “They were already a playoff team and on the cusp of a national championship run. Right now, they may have become the favorite.”
He can’t help but get a dig in, but overall, he seems very happy with what the program has done. At some point, the amount of talent this team has is too great to ignore.
2024 Outlook
The only issue with all of this talent is it increases expectations. The Buckeyes have to figure out how to beat the Michigan Wolverines. They have lost three straight matchups, keeping them out of the Big Ten championship for the past three years. At this point, the Buckeyes have no excuse for not being one of the top teams in the conference. If Ryan Day loses to Michigan again, he could find himself on the hot seat.
Can Ohio State ride all of this talent to a national championship? Now that their rivals have done it, they are hoping to follow suit.
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