Paul Finebaum doesn’t see Indiana as CFP favorite after 13-0 finish
By David Wasson
Published:
The Indiana Hoosiers conquered the Big Ten on Saturday night, winning their first outright conference championship since 1945 by downing defending national champion Ohio State 13-10 in Indianapolis.
But at least one pundit – ESPN’s Paul Finebaum – doesn’t see the Hoosiers as the favorite heading into the 12-team College Football Playoff.
“You don’t need me to compliment (Curt) Cignetti and the program for what they did. It is an amazing accomplishment and I don’t think very many people saw it coming,” Finebaum said Sunday on ESPN’s SportsCenter. “But I still think you have to look at Ohio State as the team to beat. They had every chance in the world to win that game. They turned it over on fourth down, they missed a chip-shot field goal. They were nearly perfect all year long.
“Something deep down in Ryan Day today is telling me he is not all that upset. Remember, last year losing to Michigan spurred them on to win the national championship. And right now, I expect the same thing to happen.”
Indiana (13-0) is expected to earn the No. 1 overall seed in the 12-team CFP field when the rankings are released starting at noon ET Sunday. Ohio State isn’t expected to fall outside the top 8, thus the Buckeyes should host a first-round game at home either on Dec. 19 or Dec. 20.
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. He also hosts Gulfshore Sports with David Wasson, weekdays from 3-5 pm across Southwest Florida and on FoxSportsFM.com. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
