Paul Finebaum labels Ohio State 'the bad guys on the street' ahead of CFP national title game

Notre Dame was at the center of the infamous “Catholics vs. Convicts” game vs. the Miami Hurricanes way back in 1988.

Now, 36 years later, the Fighting Irish are once again being christened as the “likeable” good guys ahead of Monday’s College Football Playoff National Championship Game, which would make the Ohio State Buckeyes the colloquial “bad guys” in the matchup, at least as far as Paul Finebaum sees it.

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“I’ve always cringed about some of the dislike of Notre Dame where I grew up in the South – it had nothing to do with football and had everything to do with religion,” Finebaum said on this week’s The Matt Barrie Show podcast. “Fortunately, this (Irish squad) is the antithesis of that. This is a very likeable Notre Dame team, and I find almost everyone I know is cheering for Notre Dame because Ohio State is now like the bad guys on the street. They’re part of the Big Ten, and everyone thinks they’re the only program that paid for a roster, and that’s OK with me.”

Of course, the Buckeyes are far from the only Power 4 program to pay top-dollar for its football roster, though the program’s reported $20 million NIL allotment certainly didn’t help that perception, especially among disappointed SEC fans this season.

Nevertheless, possession — or in this case perception — is nine-tenths of the law, and Ohio State hasn’t done much to dismiss that judgement this season. Especially after building an all-star roster full of high-priced transfers like quarterback Will Howard (Kansas State), running back Quinshon Judkins (Ole Miss transfer) and star safety Caleb Downs (Alabama transfer), just to name a few.

It doesn’t help that oddsmakers are clearly favoring the “bad guys,” with the loaded Buckeyes currently representing an 8.5-point favorite over the Fighting Irish, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

Paul Finebaum reacts to Notre Dame facing Ohio State in National Championship

Paul Finebaum may have an affinity with the SEC, but he’s excited for the College Football Playoff National Championship Game between Notre Dame and Ohio State on Jan. 20.

The Buckeyes have been earmarked for the contest from the beginning of the season, while the Fighting Irish had to scratch and claw their way to the finale after falling to Northern Illinois in Week 2. Nevertheless, all the chips will be pushed into the center of the table for both teams next week, and Finebaum can’t wait to see who comes out with the win.

“I think that is the story of the year in college football, really is what Marcus Freeman has done,” Finebaum said earlier this week on McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning. “The SEC fall from grace is rivaling that, by the way, but that’s OK. I love the Notre Dame story because they’re not playing for the national championship with Ole Miss‘ running back and Alabama‘s defensive back. I mean, 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.”