The College Football Playoff kicked off Friday with Indiana facing Notre Dame, but Saturday brought the real ‘CFP madness.’ The much-hyped showdown between Ohio State and Tennessee left analysts—and especially Paul Finebaum—feeling the heat.

Finebaum, ever the headline grabber, had been hyping Tennessee like they were destined for greatness. But when Ohio State dismantled the Vols 42-17, his take aged like milk. Fans, critics, and even journalists were ready with receipts. Buckeye Nation made sure this ‘dub hit different.’

On his SEC Network show, Finebaum called Tennessee’s playoff path brutal, citing their tough draw without a bye. “They got the worst possible draw,” he said, pointing to potential matchups with Texas, Penn State, Ohio State, or Notre Dame. But the Vols didn’t just get a tough opponent—they got a masterclass in domination. The Buckeyes jumped out to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter, and while Tennessee tried to fight back, they couldn’t close the gap. Ohio State sealed the deal with two more touchdowns in the third quarter, making it clear they’re no underdog.

Jeff Rabjohns, an Indiana journalist, couldn’t resist taking a jab. “Per low-watt bulbs Paul Finebaum and Josh Pate, Tennessee in the College Football Playoff not Ohio State because they feel Tennessee played a tougher schedule and their opinion is more important than scores of football games actually played,” he tweeted. Ouch!

This isn’t just about one game; it’s a wake-up call. The SEC, long seen as the gold standard, took a hit with this loss. Meanwhile, Ohio State silenced doubters, proving they’re far from finished—even after that Michigan stumble.

Moreover, if you are calling Oregon and Penn State an easy team to win against, then it’s like some top-level delusion. Josh Pate also didn’t leave any chance to make it worse for Ryan Day supporting Tennessee over their “style of play” and also that Ohio State needs to “throw the ba-l more.” But then didn’t just the Buckeyes win again, gaining 473 yards in total against the Vols? So it looks like that’s not the problem anymore.

But Paul Finebaum is still not sure about the team. As they are going to face Oregon next, Paul is not ready to plan Ohio State’s championship parade even after a dominating win. The ESPN analyst is not ready to give Ryan Day and the team a single moment to breathe as he says, “As great as that win was, can this team put two or three wins together in a row? That has been one of the issues for Ohio State all season long.”

Ohio only lost against Michigan and Oregon, and just to remind you, the losses were very close against both teams. But it’s not like only Ohio State is under Paul’s radar.

Paul Finebaum’s critical mode is on!

The Buckeyes’ win against the Vols came at the time when Ryan Day needed it the most. From losing against Michigan to making a remarkable win against Tennessee, this is the team that proved failure can’t define your worth. Moreover, Ohio State didn’t just shut up the haters; they had Paul Finebaum out here switching sides like he’s in the transfer portal. Crazy, right? Who would have known that their loss would straight up become a concern for Nico Iamaleava?

Yes, you read that right. Paul, being Paul, couldn’t let this loss slide easily. His brutal remarks on Nico and the team make the situation even worse for them than it is now. “I don’t even know where to go with them (Tennessee), and I really don’t care at this point. Because I think most reasonable football fans knew that they were going to struggle in that environment, just like they’ve struggled in every other environment this year, other than Vanderbilt, where they had more fans. So that’s just a flaw in the Tennessee system and the maturity level of Nico,” he said. Big talk about Nico’s maturity: isn’t he the only reason that the Vols were down by only 11 at halftime?

Nico definitely had a tough night. The redshirt freshman showed some flashes of his running ability, but mostly he was scrambling for his life against that fierce Buckeyes pass rush. He finished the game with a season-low 104 yards on 14-of-31 passing. You gotta give it to him though, Nico played with heart. He was desperate to make something happen, which unfortunately led to some big hits. He even had to get a new helmet at one point. Well, that’s dedication and not immaturity.

Even though Tennessee lost against the Buckeyes, they did try to put up a strong game against them. And definitely Nico Iamaleava was one of the reasons the team was able to at least score in 2 digits. But for now, it’s showtime for Ohio State, as winning against Oregon is like cracking the toughest nut in the bowl.