Paul Finebaum Names Top Five College Football Team Headed Toward 'Disaster'

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jaron Spor | Last updated Aug 27, 2025 10:00 AM ET

Last season marked the first year of the 12-team College Football Playoff, which expanded from the previous four-team format that had been in place since 2014. Unlike in 2014, the national champion this time was the Georgia Bulldogs.

The Buckeyes concluded the regular season with a record of 10-2, but they ended on a disappointing note. They suffered a loss to their archrival, the Michigan Wolverines, which marked the fourth consecutive year they had been defeated by them. Consequently, they did not qualify for the Big Ten championship.

They had an impressive playoff run, winning all four games by a margin of at least ten points. This included victories against the Tennessee Volunteers, Oregon Ducks, Texas Longhorns and Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Now, Ohio State is looking to replicate that success as it begins the season ranked No. 3 in the country in the AP preseason poll.

On "First Take," ESPN's Paul Finebaum stated that he believes the Buckeyes will not repeat as champions, and he is concerned that the upcoming season could end in disaster.

"I think Ohio State is going to be hungover from last year, with a new quarterback," Finebaum said. "By the way, two new coordinators as well. Try putting that into a potion and making it work well. It's usually a disaster."

Ohio State Has Several Changes from the 2024 National Championship Season

As Finebaum noted, the Buckeyes are replacing several key players from last year's team. Offensive coordinator Chip Kelly has left to take the same position with the Las Vegas Raiders, and defensive coordinator Jim Knowles has moved on to become the defensive coordinator for the Penn State Nittany Lions.

Ohio State has promoted wide receiver coach Brian Hartline to offensive coordinator and hired longtime NFL assistant Matt Patricia as the new defensive coordinator. But that's not all that the Buckeyes are losing.

The Buckeyes are losing quarterback Will Howard, who will be replaced by former five-star redshirt freshman Julian Sayin. Sayin successfully beat out redshirt sophomore Lincoln Kienholz for the starting position. Additionally, Ohio State will be missing key players, including defensive ends Jack Sawyer and J.T. Tuimoloau, wide receiver Emeka Egbuka and running backs TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins.

National Polls Are High on the Buckeyes

Despite Finebaum's lack of faith in the team, national polls tell a different story. The Buckeyes are ranked:

No. 3 in the AP Poll
No. 4 in the ESPN Football Power Index
No. 2 in the USA Today Coaches Poll

The Buckeyes have the best odds to win the national championship this season, tied with their first opponent, Texas. In their upcoming game in Columbus, Ohio State is favored to win by 2.5 points.

The game is scheduled for noon ET on Fox. ESPN's "College GameDay" will also be airing from 9:30 a.m. to noon ET. This will be the last game of Lee Corso's illustrious career.

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

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