Paul Finebaum Declares Ohio State ‘Dead, Dead and Buried’ After Oregon Collapse

The ESPN analyst who said the Buckeyes were robbed by the selection committee last week now says the preseason No. 1 team’s championship and playoff hopes are gone.

Television and radio personality Paul Finebaum does a live report from SEC Media Day | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

ESPN analyst Paul Finebaum believes Ohio State’s College Football Playoff hopes ended Saturday, as the preseason No. 1 Buckeyes blew a 14-0 lead and fell 41-28 to Oregon for a second straight double-digit loss.

“Ohio State’s chances of winning it all? Gone. Making the playoff? Gone. They are dead, dead and buried,” Finebaum told ESPN anchor Randy Scott on Sunday, a day after the Buckeyes fell to 6-3 and took a third loss in a season for the first time since 2011.

Why did Paul Finebaum bury Ohio State?

Ohio State Buckeyes fans react during the NCAA football game against the Oregon Ducks | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The verdict marks a sharp turn from Wednesday, when Finebaum said the two-loss Buckeyes got “completely robbed” after debuting at No. 12 in the first College Football Playoff rankings, eight spots behind an Indiana team they beat in Bloomington.

Ohio State opened the year No. 1 in both the AP Top 25 and the Coaches Poll, and Finebaum started there.

“You remember they started the season No. 1. A lot of us thought they might win it all. They’re not going to win it all,” Finebaum said.

The Buckeyes lost 24-23 at Texas in Week 2, then fell 30-18 at USC on Oct. 31 in true freshman quarterback Luke Fahey’s first start. Starter Julian Sayin remains out indefinitely with an injury to his throwing arm.

The Oregon loss bothered Finebaum most because of the opponent. “And they lost to a team that we had already buried,” he said.

The Ducks opened the season No. 2 but lost to Oklahoma State, UCLA and Illinois. After the September upset in Stillwater, Finebaum said Oregon coach Dan Lanning’s season was “not far from” becoming a dumpster fire.

How Oregon erased Ohio State’s 14-0 lead

Oregon Ducks tight end Jamari Johnson (9) celebrates a catch during the third quarter against the Ohio State Buckeyes | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Running back Bo Jackson scored twice in the first quarter, and Ohio State had won 140 straight home games when leading by at least 14 points.

Then Oregon linebacker Teitum Tuioti converted a fake punt with a 30-yard jump pass on fourth-and-9 from the Ducks’ 31 in the second quarter, and the Ducks scored 38 straight points. Fahey threw an interception with 1:06 left before halftime, and tight end Jamari Johnson scored on a 2-yard run as time expired to put Oregon ahead 17-14.

Running back Dierre Hill Jr. broke a 48-yard touchdown run early in the third quarter, and Ohio State turned it over on downs on four straight second-half possessions. Fahey threw for 360 yards, but more than half came in the fourth quarter after the game was decided.

“Not someplace we thought we’d be,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said. “Beyond disappointed.”

Day told his players they have to “weather this storm,” and he said accountability starts with the coaching staff.

What’s left for Ohio State?

Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Jeremiah Smith (4) stands on the sideline during the game against the Oregon Ducks | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Finebaum found one positive in the Buckeyes’ remaining schedule.

“The only good news for Ohio State: They get to play Michigan later in the season, which had an even more deadly appearance yesterday against Michigan State,” Finebaum said.

The Wolverines fell to 5-4 after Michigan State forced four turnovers and kicked five field goals in a 15-6 win in Ann Arbor.

Ohio State (4-2 Big Ten) closes with Northwestern, a trip to Nebraska and Michigan. Even three wins would leave the Buckeyes facing long odds for an at-large bid or a Big Ten title game berth, after Finebaum warned last week that they had no room for error.

Ohio State hosts Northwestern at Ohio Stadium on Saturday.