Paul Finebaum and Ohio State rarely find themselves on the same side of an argument. The ESPN personality has spent years taking shots at the Buckeyes, Ryan Day, and their famously demanding fanbase. So when he suddenly starts defending Ohio State, something clearly isn’t right. And this time, his frustration was directed at the College Football Playoff committee.

The first CFP rankings came out Tuesday night, leaving the two-loss Buckeyes at No. 12. That position is tricky in a 12-team playoff, especially with the highest-ranked Group of Five champion still eligible to claim an automatic spot. Ohio State is effectively sitting outside the field, with very little margin left for another setback. But Paul Finebaum wasn’t buying the committee’s reasoning. 

Appearing on ESPN’s Get Up, Paul Finebaum had a rather brutal response when Mike Greenberg asked whether Ohio State had been treated unfairly.

“Yes, they did,” he replied. “They went to Texas, Greeney, on 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. This committee is a disgrace.”

Paul Finebaum wasn’t finished there. He suggested every member should resign, joking that Greenberg and he could walk into a Chicago bar, select 13 people, and come away with a better group of decision-makers. Coming from someone who has rarely missed an opportunity to criticize the Buckeyes, that was quite a change.

There is a real reason Paul Finebaum is frustrated. Ohio State’s trip to Austin ended in a painful 24-23 defeat after the Buckeyes surrendered a 20-point fourth-quarter lead. Texas, led by Arch Manning, completed the comeback with Hollywood Smothers scoring the winning touchdown with 25 seconds remaining.

It was a difficult loss, but hardly the sort of game that should erase the value of scheduling a major road opponent. Indiana, meanwhile, began its national title defense with home games against North Texas, Howard and Western Kentucky. The Hoosiers are sitting at No. 4, eight places above the team that defeated them 19-15 in Bloomington on October 17.

The Buckeyes’ situation became considerably worse after their loss to USC. They now have two defeats, a starting QB in Julian Sayin sidelined by injury, and freshman Luke Fahey taking over. There is still plenty left on the schedule, but none of it looks easy. Oregon, Northwestern, Nebraska, and Michigan remain.

Ohio State isn’t the only team raising eyebrows in the initial rankings, either. Alabama landed at No. 5 despite having two losses, making the 6-2 Tide the highest-ranked two-loss team.

CFP committee chairman Hunter Yurachek addressed Ohio State’s ranking Tuesday, particularly the impact of Julian Sayin’s absence. He said the committee wasn’t treating the Buckeyes as a whole different team but acknowledged that its evaluation of the offense and defense differed.

Ohio State produced more than 450 yards against USC, yet struggled to finish drives in the red zone and managed four field goals before finally reaching the end zone in the fourth quarter. Yurachek also pointed to explosive plays allowed by the defense and said the committee couldn’t attribute every offensive problem to Luke Fahey.

“Again, you’re considering the entire body of work by Ohio State, not just one game,” he said. “We only had one game to evaluate them currently without Julian in the lineup.”

That leaves the Buckeyes with an opportunity to change the conversation. And Saturday’s matchup is a particularly important starting point. No. 23 Oregon visits Ohio Stadium this weekend. A victory would give Ohio State a meaningful result to put back in front of the committee. Another loss, however, would see less support from fans and critics alike.