Paul Finebaum reveals what the Ohio State-Michigan game means for the College Football Playoff

As rivalry weekend is right around the corner, many matchups will have large College Football Playoff implications, but none more than No. 2 Ohio State versus No. 3 Michigan. ESPN college football analyst Paul Finebaum spoke about ‘The Game’, and how it could potentially impact the College Football Playoff for the two teams playing in the matchup and beyond.

“I think what it really shows is this is about the only school that could beat Georgia, and I’m talking about the winner of Michigan Ohio State,” Finebaum said.

Finebaum believes that the big game in Columbus this Saturday features the only two teams that could challenge the top-ranked Bulldogs, which he made clear by dismissing some other playoff contenders, starting with No. 4 TCU.

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“TCU, I know we had our fun with them last week, they’re a very good team, if they get in the playoffs congratulations, they’ll still lose by three or four touchdowns in the semifinals,” Finebaum said.

Many also like USC to have a chance of making their way into the College Football Playoffs as well, with a chance to secure another ranked win this weekend over Notre Dame and likely another in the Pac-12 Championship game, but Finebaum isn’t convinced they can dethrone the defending National Champions.

“Then Southern Cal has had a phenomenal season, Caleb Williams may very well win the Heisman Trophy, but I don’t think the Southern Cal defense can stand up to Georgia or Michigan/Ohio State,” Finebaum said

That nation’s top three teams in Georgia, Ohio State, and Michigan do boast top 15 offenses in the country, all averaging more than 35 points per game, with the Trojans providing offensive firepower despite their defensive deficiencies, averaging 43 points per game of their own. Despite this, Finebaum still believes the race for the national title is a three-horse one.

“I think we’re really talking about two schools remaining in my mind, actually three, two playing in the game Saturday that could possibly win the National Championship.”

It’s clear that Finebaum has a lot of faith in the top three-ranked teams in the nation and with two of them playing each other this weekend, it will definitely be interesting to see how the rankings shake out after their game this Saturday. Michigan and Ohio State will kick off in their high-stakes, rivalry matchup at noon this Saturday in a game airing on FOX.