Paul Finebaum needs to slow down with Ohio State national title talk

Why are college football fans still listening to Pete Finebaum when it comes to Michigan football and Ohio State?

I'm not trying to pick on the guy, but in the past three years, when has he been right in his predictions about Michigan or Ohio State?

It was just a few years ago that Finebaum said that Jim Harbaugh would never beat Ohio State. He also said Michigan wouldn't beat Alabama or win the national championship.

Of course, he was wrong about all that. So forgive me if I don't put much credence in him calling Ohio State the national title favorites after a flurry of transfer portal additions. Yes, Ohio State football is talented, but talent hasn't been the issue in the previous seasons.

Ohio State still has a lot to prove

Ohio State had one of the greatest collections of offensive talent you've ever seen in 2021 and 2022 and lost to Michigan football both times by double digits. So does adding Quinshon Judkins, Caleb Downs, and Will Howard really scare Michigan? Should it scare Georgia? A team with just as much talent but one that won't have to try to blend a bunch of new pieces.

Downs is elite. Judkins is too, but he's not much different than most of the other running backs Ohio State football has had in recent years. The question is will Ryan Day run the ball with him? Maybe that's why he hired Bill O'Brien -- he couldn't trust himself to call enough run plays.

At any rate, here's what Finebaum said on a recent podcast about the Buckeyes and how they have won the offseason.

“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). They were already a playoff team and on the cusp of a national championship run. Right now, they may have become the favorite.”

There's no doubt that Ohio State should be a playoff team and will be a title contender. But there's a reason they don't give out titles for "winning the offseason." Since 2021, Ryan Day hasn't won a single game that truly matters to Ohio State fans and he's getting desperate.

It better work, because if it doesn't result in a win over Michigan, he'll have even more egg on his face, just like Finebaum, which is why when it comes to Michigan and Ohio State, it's hard to trust anything he says. Maybe he has finally closed the blind spot.