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Paul Finebaum says Florida’s loss to LSU eliminates Gators from Playoff picture
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Florida is out.
Well, maybe the Gators aren’t completely out of the College Football Playoff hunt just yet, but SEC Network host Paul Finebaum believes the team’s hopes of competing for a national championship have been chewed up and spit out following Saturday’s loss to LSU.
LSU defeated Florida 37-34 in an upset in Gainesville, thanks to Dan Mullen’s decision to not play star tight end Kyle Pitts and a costly unsportsmanlike conduct penalty near the end of the game, when defensive back Marco Wilson threw the shoe of a Tigers player 20 yards down the field.
Florida had been ranked as the No. 5 team in the College Football Playoff rankings and was thought to be in contention for one of the four spots in the field if it could beat Alabama in the SEC Championship Game. Now, Finebaum thinks the Gators are gone, even with a victory over the Crimson Tide.
“Of all the games we watched this season over 15 weeks, I would dare say it was the most significant loss. They did not have the easiest path to the Playoff but they had a clear shot. You win one game and you’re in,” Finebaum said on WJOX’s The RoundTable. “And now that’s not going to happen. I think it will haunt Dan Mullen to some degree.”
In all likelihood, Florida’s loss creates a pretty clear path for Ohio State. If the Buckeyes defeat Northwestern in the B1G Championship Game on Saturday, they’re all but a lock for one of the College Football Playoff spots.
Saturday’s loss for Florida was costly, and perhaps the greatest benefiter was Ohio State.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB