Paul Finebaum isn’t ready to stamp a national champion just yet, but he’s making his direction pretty clear.
With the College Football Playoff race about a month away, the Big Ten is still sitting on top of the sport after three straight national titles - Michigan in 2023, Ohio State in 2024 and Indiana in 2025. And according to ESPN’s Football Power Index, that run may not be ending anytime soon.
The FPI gives Ohio State the best shot at winning it all at 17%, with Texas next at 12.8% and Notre Dame third at 10.6%. Oregon is the next Big Ten team in the mix at 9.2%, which ranks fifth nationally.
Finebaum was asked at SEC media days who he thinks will win the College Football Playoff, and he pointed to Ohio State, Oregon and Notre Dame as teams he likes. Then on “The Paul Finebaum Show,” he made it clear which conference he’s leaning toward.
"I don't think it's really in dispute," Finebaum said. "I haven't made a final decision yet.
Not that anybody's really waiting for that. I'm leaning toward picking a Big Ten team to win it again."
He still hasn’t locked in his pick, but the conversation appears to be narrowing toward Ohio State or Oregon. The Buckeyes have one of the deepest rosters in the country again, with quarterback Julian Sayin, running back Bo Jackson and wide receiver Jeremiah Smith leading the offense. Smith, in particular, is being talked about as maybe the best player in college football.
Oregon brings a different kind of threat. The Ducks return quarterback Dante Moore, wide receivers Dakorien Moore and Evan Stewart and running back Jordon Davison, along with plenty of defensive talent. They’re still chasing their first national championship in program history, but they’ve got the kind of lineup that can make a real run.
For now, the Big Ten has the sport’s standard in its grip, and both the numbers and the national chatter suggest that could carry into 2026. If another Big Ten team ends the year with the trophy, it would only strengthen the league’s current stranglehold on college football.
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Elite EDGE Battle Just Delivered A Frustrating Blow To The Aggies
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Notre Dame ended up landing the first blue-chip commitment in its 2028 class, a notable win for a program that has made a habit of staying strong on the defensive line. Prescotts decision also fits the Irishs recent push in the Chicago area and nearby recruiting territory, where they continue to stack momentum with top prospects. For Oregon, the takeaway is simple: when a player this highly regarded comes off the board, the margin for error in these national recruiting fights gets even smaller. [Read more 🡒]
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The catch is that all of that talent is being asked to mesh under new leadership on both sides of the ball after the departures of Will Stein and Tosh Lupoi for head-coaching jobs. Oregon promoted Drew Mehringer and Chris Hampton from within, which gives the program continuity, but also leaves plenty to prove before the hype turns into something sturdier than offseason praise. [Read more 🡒]
Oregon Is In A Recruiting Fight It Cannot Afford To Lose
Dan Lanning and Oregon are still pushing hard for linebacker Landon Miller, the four-star California prospect who has become one of the more important defensive recruiting targets on the board. Miller is set to make an October trip to Eugene, and the Ducks have reason to treat that visit like a major checkpoint as they try to keep building out the future of their linebacker room.
Oregon already has two linebacker commitments in its 2027 class, but the staff is still shopping for more help at the position and Miller sits near the top of that list. The Ducks have held the edge in recent prediction chatter, yet this one is far from settled, and the upcoming visit could go a long way toward showing whether Oregon can turn early momentum into something real. [Read more 🡒]