"I don't like Ohio State": Paul Finebaum predicts Ryan Day's downfall while giving Jeremiah Smith his flowers for bold promise

Ohio State won last season’s national championship under the new 12-team college football playoff format, even though the team lost twice during the regular season, including the final game to Michigan.

Michigan has beaten Ohio State every year since 2021, winning each game by an average of 11.5 points. That rivalry continues to haunt the Buckeyes, especially since coach Ryan Day has yet to turn things around in that series.

Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith expressed his frustration about losing to Michigan.

"I’m not a sore loser, but I hate losing, and losing to that team up north was pretty crazy," he told The Athletic. "In the end, I think it really helped us play the way we did in the playoffs. But I didn’t want to go to Ohio State and lose to that team up north. I just hate them. Just something about them.

"For the next two years, I promise you, I will not lose to them. I can’t lose to them in the next two years."

On Friday’s edition of ESPN’s “Get Up,” college football analyst Paul Finebaum praised Smith for his comments while showing his long-standing skepticism of Ryan Day.

"I’m glad to see someone on the Ohio State lineup maybe do something more than just mouthing words, because Jeremiah sounds serious," Finebaum said. "Ryan Day has promised that for every loss to not lose again and he continues to lose again.

"But they are the defending national champions, so even clowns like me on the 4th of July are not going to call for a firing of a coach because he loses one game. However, that is a game he has to deal with at some point."

Ryan Day. Syndication: The Columbus Dispatch - Source: Imagn

Finebaum also predicted another Michigan win this year and said he doesn’t think Ohio State will even make the playoff.

“I don’t like Ohio State. I think Ohio State is going to lose in the opener against Texas, and they are going to struggle to make the playoff, let alone win it all.”

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Former ESPN analyst raises concern about Ryan Day’s Ohio State

Ohio State is heading into the 2025 season with a very different team than the one that just won the national championship. The Buckeyes lost several important players, including quarterback Will Howard, running backs Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson, wide receiver Emeka Egbuka and top defenders JT Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer.

On June 19, former ESPN analyst David Pollack shared his concerns about the team on his podcast “See Ball Get Ball.” He isn’t worried about the offense but has some questions about the defense.

The Buckeyes not only lost several experienced defenders but also their defensive coordinator Jim Knowles. In turn, Ryan Day brought in a new coordinator, former NFL coach Matt Patricia.

"You’ve got a new defensive coordinator and you’ve got a ton of new players," Pollack said. “Does this defense look more like it did a couple of years ago, when it was a big-time deficiency for the team before they won the national championship, or does it look somewhere in the middle or closer to last year?

"But I could go down the list of so many names with (Tuimoloau) and Sawyer and all of these guys that have been there, done that, stayed, and had experience in the moment that I trusted.”

One silver lining is that the team is returning safety Caleb Downs, one of the best defensive players in the country as it starts its season on Aug. 30 against Texas at home.