Paul Finebaum believes the College Football Playoff selection committee got it wrong about Ohio State.

After Ohio State opened the initial CFP rankings at No. 12, the ESPN analyst questioned how the committee evaluated the Buckeyes, particularly the value of their road performance against Texas and their head-to-head victory over Indiana.

“They went to Texas, Greeny, in the second week of the season. That’s what you’re supposed to do in college football. Indiana doesn’t do that, most schools don’t, but they did. And they got completely robbed as a result,” Finebaum said during an appearance on ESPN’s Get Up.

He followed with an even stronger criticism, calling the committee a disgrace. Ohio State is 6-2 and ranked No. 12, eight spots behind Indiana, which sits at No. 4 with an 8-1 record. The Hoosiers have no ranked wins and lost to the Buckeyes 19-15 in Bloomington.

Ohio State traveled to Austin in September and held a 20-point fourth-quarter lead against Texas before falling 24-23. The Longhorns are ranked No. 7 in the initial poll.

Committee chairman Hunter Yurachek acknowledged Ohio State’s win over Indiana but pointed to the loss at USC as a reason for the Buckeyes’ placement. He cited explosive plays allowed by the defense and settling for four field goals before scoring its first touchdown in the fourth quarter.

November 3️⃣ #CFP Top 25 https://t.co/brv5QU5Lhk

— CFP (@CFBPlayoff) November 4, 2026

Through its first seven games, Ohio State had not allowed a play of 40 yards or more. The defense surrendered just 94 points during that stretch, averaging 13.4 per game. The Buckeyes held Ball State and Kent State to three points apiece, limited Iowa to 14 on the road and kept Indiana to 15 in Bloomington.

Ohio State recorded nine tackles for loss, held USC to 15 first downs and limited the Trojans to four conversions on 12 third-down attempts. The Buckeyes also controlled time of possession for 39:28. Moreover, the defense was not blameless, and the opening touchdown and other breakdowns contributed to the loss.

Still, the committee’s emphasis on explosive plays raises a question about consistency in its evaluation. Ole Miss, ranked No. 10 with the same 6-2 record, had allowed 10 plays of 40 or more yards and ranked 128th nationally in allowing plays of 20 or more yards. Ohio State had allowed none before USC.

Ohio State (6-2) is No. 12 in part because the old farts on the committee didn’t like them giving up explosive plays against USC.

OSU allowed two 40+ yard plays in that game, its first two such plays allowed this season.

Ole Miss (6-2) is ranked No. 10, and has allowed 10 plays of 40+ yards

Ole Miss’ overall explosive play rate allowed vs P4 comp (12.8%) is worse than Ohio State’s (12%).

Ohio State’s best wins (No. 4 Indiana and No. 19 Iowa, both on the road) are better than Ole Miss’s best wins (No. 14 LSU, No. 18 Mizzou, both at home.)

Both teams lost at Texas, Ohio State by 1 and Ole Miss by 7. Ole Miss’ other loss is by 24 points to No. 24 Florida. Ohio State lost by 12 points to No. 20 USC with a freshman quarterback.

Sure.

— Bill Landis (@BillLandis25) November 4, 2026

Yurachek said the committee would have four more games to evaluate the Buckeyes with or without Sayin. He also cautioned against attributing all of the offensive struggles to Fahey.

The CFP’s own selection principles identify injuries and the unavailability of key players as relevant considerations when comparing teams with similar profiles. Sayin’s absence changed Ohio State’s offensive operation, and the committee should account for that context while still holding the Buckeyes responsible for their execution.

Media and fans alike want transparency and consistency from the committee, which was not the case Tuesday night.

Ryan Day’s team has four regular-season games remaining: No. 23 Oregon, Northwestern, Nebraska and Michigan. Winning out would put Ohio State at 10-2 and keep its path to the Big Ten Championship Game and College Football Playoff alive.

But margin for error is gone. Day has already described the rest of the season as playoff football. Ohio State needs to respond against Oregon on Saturday and show the committee it is still a contender, regardless of who is under center.