The stage is set for the College Football Playoff national championship game between Notre Dame and Ohio State. However, college football analyst Paul Finebaum doesn't think the matchup is close. He elaborated more on the Matt Barrie Show about why the Fighting Irish have no shot.
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 cliché to say Notre Dame’s 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 were sneaky good.”
Ohio State is a –8.5 favorite over Notre Dame ahead of Monday’s championship game. As the playoffs have gone on they dominated Tennessee 42-17. They dominated the undefeated Oregon team 41-21 and played a pretty close game vs. Texas 28-14.
While Notre Dame has been solid, and played great defense, they beat Indiana 27-17, Georgia 23-10, and Penn State 27-24. Their offense has struggled at times and it’s not as explosive as Ohio State’s. Weapons like Jeremiah Smith, TreVeyon Henderson, and Will Howard round out a lethal Buckeyes offensive attack.
Paul Finebaum sees Ohio State defeating Notre Dame
Despite Finebaum's criticism, the Fighting Irish are a quality team in their own right. The defense is one of the top in the country. Following Notre Dame's embarrassing loss to Northern Illinois, they haven't lost a game. Still, they haven't faced a well-rounded team like Ohio State. Finebaum echoed that sentiment as well.
“Notre Dame is solid but they’re missing a couple of key components,” Finebaum said. “I think Jeremiyah Love being banged up is a problem, losing linemen is a problem. I mean their Special Teams is fantastic but Ohio State is fantastic across the board. It’s just a matter of what level do they play to. I think if they play to a high level, this game is not close.”
Even with the Buckeyes line being at -8.5, their dominance does call for some concern for the Fighting Irish. After all, Notre Dame has some weaknesses that Ohio State must exploit, and one of those is the receiving core. The offense hasn't been there for Marcus Freeman, like the defense has.
However, for Ryan Day, his team is as balanced as they ever have been. Still, the clash between the two schools should be an interesting one, to say the least.