Ken Ruinard / staff, The Greenville News via Imagn Content Services, LLC

Paul Finebaum Drops Bold Ohio State Prediction Ahead of 2025 Season

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Orlando Silva | Last updated Jul 4, 2025 11:45 AM ET

Fresh off a college football national championship run, the Ohio State Buckeyes are set to defend their throne after a busy offseason in which they saw several players leave for the NFL.

After their commanding 34-23 win over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the College Football Playoff national championship game, the Big Ten program lost 14 players to the NFL, including seven in the first three rounds, ending the three-day event one pick shy of tying Georgia's record, set in 2022.

Quarterback Will Howard, wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, guard Donovan Jackson and running back Quinshon Judkins, among others, were part of this year's class.

On the other hand, the Buckeyes secured 21 enrollees ahead of the 2025 class, starting with five-star quarterback Tavien St. Clair, five-star cornerback Devin Sanchez and five-star wide receiver Quincy Porter.

Despite all these signings, ESPN analyst Paul Finebaum isn't sold on the Buckeyes' chances to repeat as national champions. During Friday's episode of ESPN's "Get Up," the veteran analyst made a clear statement about Ohio State's chances to contend in the upcoming campaign.

“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 also addressed wide receiver Jeremiah Smith's words about the Buckeyes' last season loss to archrivals the Michigan Wolverines. After the prospect vowed not to lose against "that team up north," Finebaum lauded his energy, but also implied that Ryan Day's 1-4 record against the Wolverines isn't good at all.

“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.”

The Buckeyes kick off the season Saturday, Aug. 30, at noon against the Texas Longhorns. They will close out the regular season against the Wolverines on Nov. 29 at 1 p.m. ET.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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