Paul Finebaum criticizes Ohio State ranking in preseason poll
'Don't be too shocked by this, Greeny, but Ohio State is too high. And, Heather, calm down, Alabama is too low,' Finebaum said.
Ranked No. 8, Alabama sits lower than many expected, a placement Finebaum finds puzzling. He believes the Crimson Tide are legitimate College Football Playoff national championship contenders, especially following the announcement that Ty Simpson will be the starting quarterback this season. Simpson, now in his fourth year with the program, has served as the backup the past two seasons but has yet to start a game. That will change this fall.
'I really think Alabama is a serious national championship contender,' Finebaum emphasized.
In contrast, Finebaum believes Ohio State, ranked No. 3, is being overhyped. He argued the Buckeyes are benefiting too much from last season's national championship and not being judged based on the current roster.
'I don't get Ohio State at all, Greeny. I know they won the national championship last year, but that has nothing to do with it,' Finebaum said. 'They don't have the same team, and that national championship hangover is going to catch up with them.'
Finebaum went a step further and predicted that Ohio State's high ranking would be short-lived. He expects an early-season loss to top-ranked Texas. 'We'll see that in about two and a half weeks when Texas goes up there and walks out of that stadium a winner,' he added.
ESPN's Heather Dinich agreed with Finebaum's assessment. 'He's right that Ohio State has a lot of questions and they're too high,' Dinich said.
With the college football season just around the corner, Finebaum believes the AP Poll is already missing the mark on two of the sport's biggest programs.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
27 minutes ago
- USA Today
Where Auburn football has opened in the Coaches Poll each year since 2015
The Auburn Tigers will begin the 2025 season in the "receiving votes" category of the US LBM Coaches Poll, and will aim to end a demoralizing trend by the end of the campaign. It is no secret that Auburn has lost exactly seven games in four straight seasons, and the coaching staff, led by head coach Hugh Freeze, has worked during the offseason to develop current players on the roster, as well as fill gaps with transfer portal talent, to put Auburn in the College Football Playoff discussion. When examining Auburn's coaches poll trends over the last ten seasons, it has been discovered that Auburn has begun each of the last four seasons in the "receiving votes" category, with each season ending with seven losses and zero votes in the final poll. Auburn's season will begin the same way as it has since 2021 in the coaches' poll. Will this season be the year that their luck changes? Here's a look at where Auburn has started each season in the coaches' poll since 2015. 2025: Receiving votes The Auburn Tigers will begin the 2025 season in the "receiving votes" category of the US LBM Coaches Poll by earning 50 votes. This season, the Tigers will face three teams ranked in the top-25: Alabama, Georgia, and Texas A&M, and will face eight teams that are receiving recognition from the preseason poll. 2024: Receiving votes The Tigers kicked off last season by receiving 25 votes in the coaches' poll, which was more than teams such as Iowa State, Florida, and South Carolina. As expected, Auburn failed to receive votes in the final coaches' poll of the season after finishing with a 5-7 record. 2023: Receiving votes Like in 2024, several coaches voted for Auburn to make the 2023 preseason coaches poll before the Tigers ultimately dwindled out of consideration. The Tigers finished with a 6-7 record under first-year head coach Hugh Freeze, losing four of those games to teams that finished in the top 25. 2022: Receiving votes Year two of the Bryan Harsin era started with promise as the Tigers earned 98 votes to begin the season. However, Harsin did not finish the season, and Auburn concluded the 2022 campaign with a 5-7 record, missing a bowl game and losing out on a spot in the final coaches' poll of the year. 2021: Receiving votes By now, you have noticed the trend that correlates between Auburn's seven-loss seasons and their starting position within the coaches' poll. Between 2021 and 2024, Auburn began the season by earning several votes in the preseason poll before ultimately ending the year with seven losses. Auburn's first season under Bryan Harsin began by earning 84 votes, and it would see a high ranking of No. 14 in October before losing five straight games to end the year. 2020: No. 11 The strange, COVID-altered season began with a ranking just outside of the top 10, and ended with 17 votes in the "receiving votes" category after finishing with a 6-4 record against mostly SEC teams. Gus Malzahn was fired at the end of this season after posting a 66-35 record in eight years. 2019: No. 16 Auburn was one of six SEC teams to begin the 2019 season in the coaches poll by checking in at No. 16. Auburn won nine games that season, and ended up finishing two spots higher in the poll than its preseason mark at No. 14. 2018: No. 10 Auburn's impressive 2017 season brought high expectations in 2018 with a top-10 preseason ranking. This season, however, ended in disappointment with five losses and 27 final poll votes, leaving the Tigers outside the top 25. 2017: No. 13 The Tigers were consistently in the polls during the 2017 season, finding its way into every one during the year. The Tigers ended the year ranked No. 12 after beating two No. 1 teams and making an appearance in the SEC Championship Game. Auburn ranked as high as No. 4 in the coaches poll before losing to Georgia in the SEC title game. 2016: Receiving votes The 2016 season is one of the few that has a happy ending. The Tigers earned 17 votes in the initial coaches poll, but an eight-win campaign and a Sugar Bowl appearance led Auburn to a No. 22 final ranking. 2015: No. 7 The 2015 season was the most disappointing of this time frame. Auburn held a top-10 ranking to begin the year, but an overtime win over then-FCS foe Jacksonville State plummeted the Tigers' stock to a point where it never recovered. The Tigers dropped from No. 7 to No. 20 following the win over Jax State in week two, and were completely out of the poll by week four after losing to LSU and Mississippi State. Auburn's 7-6 record was not good enough to receive a vote in the final poll of the 2015 season. Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__
New York Post
27 minutes ago
- New York Post
2025 college football predictions: Air Force, Hawaii are live to win the Mountain West
Gambling content 21+. The New York Post may receive an affiliate commission if you sign up through our links. Read our editorial standards for more information. The college football landscape has completely changed over the last few years, but one thing has remained constant: The Mountain West Conference runs through Boise. Fresh off an appearance in the College Football Playoff, Boise State is the only odds-on favorite in any conference going into the year. The Broncos have won the Mountain West two years in a row, and they've been to the conference championship in seven of the last eight seasons. Anything short of a three-peat would be deemed a disappointment for Boise State, but there are a handful of teams in this region who could give the blue-turfers a run for their money. 2025 Mountain West odds Team Odds Boise State -155 UNLV +650 San Jose State +750 Fresno State +900 Colorado State 14/1 Air Force 16/1 Hawaii 20/1 San Diego State 33/1 Wyoming 33/1 Utah State 50/1 Nevada 75/1 New Mexico 150/1 Odds via bet365 2025 Mountain West best bets, picks, and predictions The Favorite You'd think that Boise State would be projected to take a step back after losing all-world running back Ashton Jeanty to the NFL, but the Broncos are such a machine at this point that they could be better than they were in 2024. Spencer Danielson, in his second full year at the helm, didn't have too many holes to patch up aside from the Jeanty-sized one in the backfield, and he'll have the comfort of knowing that Maddux Madsen will be back under center after throwing for over 3,000 yards in 2024. The departure of Jeanty will put Madsen under more pressure, but he shouldn't have to light it up because the Broncos' defense projects to be a real force in the Mountain West. The Broncos are clearly the best team in this conference, but that doesn't make them a good bet to win the MWC for a third year on the spin. At -155, you'd need to think the Broncos have better than a 60.8 percent chance of winning the Mountain West to start to see value, and that seems a little rich considering the quality of competition around them. Ashton Jeanty is pictured during Boise State's game in November 2024. AP The Dark Horses UNLV's rise in the NIL era has turned heads, and they've got some heavy expectations in Year 1 under Dan Mullen, the former Mississippi State and Florida head coach, despite a massive amount of roster turnover. The Rebels rank 132nd in returning production, but the program won't be in disarray thanks to some deep pockets helping recruit plenty of former blue-chip prospects. Nonetheless, a team fielding upwards of 20 new starters is not one you'd feel comfortable backing as a +650 second favorite in a conference with Boise State. San Jose State is getting some hype as a potential upstart after a strong first season under former Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo, but the price has come down too much since opening to be interesting now. The Spartans are a team worth backing in other ways, however. Fresno State has been a model program in the Group of 5 for years and years, but the Bulldogs have undergone so much change in the past few seasons that it's hard to get excited about backing them at 9/1. Perhaps former North Dakota State head coach Matt Entz gets them rolling in Year 1, but the price isn't for me. Best bets for the Mountain West Anything can happen in the Group of 5, but this isn't the conference where you want to be careful about hunting huge prices. That said, there are two teams in the middle of the board that are intriguing options for a decent payday. Air Force to win the Mountain West (16/1, bet365) First up is Air Force at 16/1. The Falcons looked destined for a terrible campaign in 2024, but they turned a 1-7 record into 5-7 with four impressive victories to close out the season. That was something a lot of bettors put in their back pocket, hoping that the growth that the Falcons showed in the second half will carry over into 2025. Betting on College Football? Momentum from one season to the next is dubious for most teams in this era of college football because of the turnover, but it's different for the Service Academies. The biggest question mark will be at quarterback, with Josh Johnson a relative unknown. If he's able to run the show efficiently, Air Force becomes dangerous in a hurry. Hawaii to win the Mountain West (20/1, BetMGM) This could be the make-or-break year for Timmy Chang at his alma mater. Hawaii has shown some improvements in three years under Chang, but they'll need to make a serious dent in 2025 to keep his seat cool. The good news for Chang and the Rainbow Warriors is that they've got a real shot at making some noise thanks to an easy schedule and a high-ceiling quarterback who is drawing comparisons to…Chang. Hawaii fans got just a glimpse of Micah Alejado in 2024, but the 5-foot-10 quarterback made the most of it, throwing for 469 yards and five touchdowns against New Mexico at the end of the campaign. Alejado will need to be prolific for Hawaii to have a chance, but his pedigree and first impression suggest there's a chance he is just that. Why Trust New York Post Betting Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.
NBC Sports
28 minutes ago
- NBC Sports
A way-too early guess at who will make the College Football Playoff this season
It is a well-versed group of athletic directors, former coaches and players along with a sports writer, who will be armed with statistics, analytics, charts and graphs and enough highlights to start their own college football network as they settle into their work on the College Football Playoff selection committee. In the end, though, the sport's method of determining a champion – or at least deciding who gets the right to play for the championship – comes down to a matter of opinion. Now in its second year with an expanded bracket, 12 teams will make the playoff to close out the 2025-26 season. Five of those slots will go to conference champions. The rest will be at-large bids to be handed out by the 13-person committee. Here's a far-too-early prediction at where they will end up, and what the toughest choices will be before the bracket comes out on Dec. 8. Conference champions There's no debate over this: The five conference champions with the best ranking from the committee will make the playoff. But in a change from last year, the top four won't be guaranteed first-round byes. Best guess here says these champions will be: Southeastern: Texas, with Arch Manning, is the favorite. But Georgia wins a rematch of a Nov. 15 showdown with the Longhorns in the SEC title game that won't have all that much riding on it, CFP-wise, since, after all, these both look like top-four teams. Big Ten: Penn State coach James Franklin is 1-10 against Ohio State. Buckeyes have two Heisman Trophy hopefuls in Jeremiah Smith and Julian Sayin. Game is at the Horseshoe and Ohio State is the reigning national champion. Another Michigan upset could factor in all this, of course, but Ohio State wins the conference. Atlantic Coast: Miami is a dark horse. Clemson has the goods and quarterback Cade Klubnik. Big 12: Let's assume, just because they're a Power Four conference, that this league will produce one of the four best-ranked conference champions. But not by much. Kansas State has QB Avery Johnson returning, which could be enough to win a conference in which at least six teams, including defending champ Arizona State, have a chance. Group of Five: If Boise State, sans Ashton Jeanty, wins at Notre Dame on Oct. 4, the Broncos are in. If not (more likely), then let's assume Tulane takes care of business at home against both Duke and Northwestern and makes the playoff. At-large and in charge Texas: Longhorns split against Bulldogs with another matchup potentially in store? Alabama: Hard to imagine the Tide losing four games again this season (or the committee overlooking any ugly number in the 'L' column if they do, regardless of their strong schedule.) Oregon: QB Dante Moore chose Oregon, then UCLA, then Oregon again, and if he lives up to expectations, the Ducks could go far. Penn State: CFP semifinalists last season, the Nittany Lions try to, once again, take advantage of the second chance the playoff offers. Miami: QB Carson Beck came over from Georgia, but this defense will need to improve. Notre Dame: The Irish game against better-than-expected USC on Oct. 18 will be the equivalent of a playoff play-in. Mississippi: If only to save us from another Lane Kiffin social media barrage. But seriously, this program had one of the best transfer-portal hauls in the country. The Rebels are also getting used to winning 10 games a year and you can't ignore that forever. And the matchups are ... The bye teams: No. 1 Georgia, No. 2 Ohio State, No. 3 Texas, No. 4 Clemson. The first-round matchups, on campus: No. 12 Tulane at No. 5 Alabama: This will be the conspiracy theory game. Tulane, probably ranked about 16th, will take the spot that could've gone to yet another SEC team. (Did you know Tulane was once in the SEC?) Meanwhile, Alabama might be good enough to be ranked fourth but the committee wanted to assert its independence by not handing byes to three SEC teams. No. 11 Kansas State at No. 6 Oregon: The fifth, final and probably most decisive of the Big 12 vs. Big Ten matchups in 2025. No. 10 Mississippi at No. 7 Penn State: They met in the Peach Bowl in 2023. Now, Ole Miss gets a cold welcome to the big time. No. 9 Notre Dame at No. 8 Miami: They play a regular-season game Aug. 31. You can't ever get enough of a good thing.
