As we head into Week 12, only four teams ranked in the College Football Playoff top 25 remain undefeated.
These teams are the No. 1 Oregon Ducks (10-0), the No. 5 Indiana Hoosiers (10-0), the No. 6 BYU Cougars (9-0), and the No. 24 Army Black Knights (9-0). On the “Paul Finebaum Show,” SEC Network analyst Paul Finebaum named his top team in college football, and it’s one that isn’t undefeated.
In fact, this team lost to the Ducks earlier this season. That team is the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes, with a record of 8-1. “I think Ohio State’s the best team in the country,” Finebaum said. “It could change, but right now, it hasn’t.”
The Buckeyes’ only loss this season was a narrow one-point defeat on the road against Oregon in October. Since that game, they have scored an impressive victory against the then No. 3 Penn State Nittany Lions (8-1) on the road. Next weekend, Ohio State will have another opportunity to face an unbeaten team when it takes on the Hoosiers.
If Ohio State can win that game and continue to win the rest of its schedule, it could set up a potential rematch against Oregon. In that scenario, Finebaum has expressed that he would favor the Buckeyes to win this time around.
ESPN’s Football Power Index disagrees with Finebaum. The FPI Ranks Ohio State No. 3 in the country behind the Alabama Crimson Tide (7-2) and the Texas Longhorns (8-1). The Buckeyes will have a chance to add to their resume this weekend with a game against the Northwestern Wildcats. (4-5) at noon ET on Big Ten Network.