Paul Finebaum Is 'Fired Up' About Two College Football Powerhouses After Week 6

ESPN personality Paul Finebaum has spent the majority of his professional life covering the SEC, but it's certainly not his sole college football focus. In breaking down the state of the sport on The Matt Barrie Show after Week 6, Finebaum took a break from his usual SEC focus and picked out a pair of non-SEC teams that have caught his eye heading into a Week 7 matchup.

Finebaum Fired Up About Non-SEC Squads

"I'm really fired up about Ohio State and Indiana because I want to make sure I'm not wrong again... about Ohio State," said Finebaum. "Indiana.... they won back a lot of me yesterday."

Indiana's Perilous Escape

Finebaum and Barrie previously discussed Indiana and how the Hoosiers faced the loss of their unbeaten season against a Nebraska team that made a strong start, leading 17-6 with 12:01 remaining in the game.

"I've always liked Matt Rhule," Finebaum said of the Nebraska head coach. "Yesterday, I finally believed in him. I said, 'Matt Rhule's got this.' And of course, Nebraska never has it anymore.

The Huskers saw their lead evaporate in their 31st straight loss to a ranked opponent. Indiana meanwhile used the 20-17 win to set up a best-on-best Big Ten showdown with Ohio State in Week 7.

B1G Struggles

Penn State and Oregon have both been brutally disappointing and while USC has managed to start 6-1, they also haven't seemed likely to latch on to a CFP-worthy run. At the minute, ESPN's FPI ranks Indiana with an 87.4% shot at the Playoff, with Ohio State hanging at a 76.9% chance. The league's third candidate per FPI would be No. 12 UCLA, an unlikely 5-0 with a 28.6% shot at a Playoff berth.

Ohio State's Battle to Hang Around the CFP Picture

Ohio State's only flaw on the season was a brutal Week 2 conclusion against Texas-- one that in some ways mirrored Nebraska's Week 6 letdown. Ohio State led 23-3 at the start of the fourth quarter... but fell 24-23. Of course, in the era of a 12-team College Football Playoff, the Buckeyes are far from eliminated after a single loss. But in a season of Big Ten jumbling, the league's top two teams have been the steadfast point.

For a league that has won the last three CFP titles, it has been an uncertain early season and Finebaum might be looking forward to the game to see if Indiana can drive a major wedge into Ohio State's situation. A 10-2 Buckeye team would likely still make the Playoff, but a second loss would likely destroy any breathing room for Ohio State ahead of upcoming games with ranked USC and Northwestern team, a dangerous Oregon squad, and the annual battle with Michigan.

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