Paul Finebaum 'cannot imagine' Notre Dame beating Ohio State in National Championship

Paul Finebaum isn’t feeling lucky about the Fighting Irish. During an appearance on The Matt Barrie Show, Finebaum didn’t mince words when asked about Notre Dame‘s chances against Ohio State in the National Championship.

“I cannot imagine Notre Dame winning the game,” Finebaum said. “Something tells me I’ll probably hear that statement again Tuesday if I’m wrong. I just can’t. I know it’s cliche to say, ‘Matt, Notre Dame is really good. And I see it coming down to a late —’ I don’t see it. To me, this looks like the first couple of games by Ohio State.

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“I think the Texas game was the outlier. Texas was really good. They’re sneaky good. I think Notre Dame is solid but they’re missing a couple of key components. I think Jeremiyah Love being banged up is a problem. I think losing a lineman is a problem. Their special teams are fantastic, but Ohio State is fantastic across the board. It’s just a matter of — what level do they play to? And I think if [the Buckeyes] play to a high level, this game is not close.”

If the championship game on Monday looks anything close to Ohio State’s first two games in the College Football Playoff, Notre Dame is in for a long night. The Buckeyes defeated Tennessee and Oregon in their first two CFP games by a combined 45 points.

While Texas gave Ohio State a much closer game, the Buckeyes still ultimately pulled out a 28-14 victory. In the win, the Buckeyes racked up 370 total yards of offense against the Longhorns, including 289 passing yards.

As Finebaum mentioned, Notre Dame is entering the championship showdown at a disadvantage. The Fighting Irish have faced injury issues on their offensive line all season. Most recently, Anthonie Knapp suffered a season-ending injury in the CFP semifinals against Penn State.

While star running back Jeremiyah Love played through an injury against the Nittany Lions, he was wearing a knee brace and reportedly not at full strength. Now, the Fighting Irish will be forced to put their injuries on the back burner as they suit up for one final game.

In fairness, Finebaum isn’t the only one who lacks confidence in Notre Dame. According to FanDuel, Ohio State is an 8.5-point favorite against the Fighting Irish. Finebaum and oddsmakers aside, Notre Dame will have a chance to silence its doubters on Monday.

The two teams will square off at 7:30 p.m. ET on Monday. The game will air live on ESPN.