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Paul Finebaum calls Marcus Freeman, Notre Dame the story of the season in college football
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Paul Finebaum has been impressed with the performance of Notre Dame, who will face Ohio State in the College Football Playoff national championship game on Jan. 20.
“I think that is the story of the year in college football,” Finebaum said on “The Matt Barrie Show”.
Finebaum credited the development of Fighting Irish players under Marcus Freeman, who took the reins from Brian Kelly at the end of the 2021 season and now has the Irish on the cusp of a first title since 1988. They haven’t lost since falling to Northern Illinois in Week 2, defeating Indiana, Georgia, and Penn State in the Playoff.
“They’re not playing for the national championship with Ole Miss’ running back and Alabama’s defensive back,” Finebaum said. “They’ve developed players. They’ve gone out and brought in players from Duke and other schools, just like Indiana did. But ultimately, they found a way and they beat some good programs along the way.”
Barrie pointed out that Notre Dame, one of the lone independent FBS programs, has “hacked the system” en route to the championship game due to the financial windfall it’ll enjoy for making it to the final.
“You know how much money they are making all to themselves for making the championship game? $20 million. Whereas the $20 million Ohio State’s making has to be shared with the rest of the (Big Ten),” he said. “Notre Dame’s not in a league, and they get to keep it all to themselves.”
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
