Paul Finebaum: Marcus Freeman’s ‘major mishap’ likely cost ND a Playoff spot

Paul Finebaum did not hold back when it comes to Notre Dame’s blown opportunity in Saturday’s game against Ohio State. For much of the fourth quarter, the Fighting Irish clung to a 4-point lead but watched as the Buckeyes scored a last-second touchdown in the instant thriller.

During Finebaum’s Sunday morning appearance on ESPN’s “SportsCenter,” he particularly hammered head coach Marcus Freeman and the Irish for their massive flub of playing the decisive snap with 10 men on the field. It’s a misstep that could cost the program a trip to the College Football Playoff.

“I think ‘Isn’t there a coach on the sidelines who’s supposed to be in charge of that?’ Yeah, there are the defensive coordinator, the position coaches and the head coach,” said Finebaum. “That was a major mishap for Notre Dame and it very likely cost them a spot in the Playoff.

“I know some Irish fans this morning waking up and saying ‘You can’t say that we still have many more games to play.’ Well, that was the biggest game on your calendar because it was against probably the best team they’ll see, with the possible exception of USC, and it was at home. You have to win those games. And the Irish’s arrogance about not being in a conference could come back to haunt them because they do not have a conference championship game to make that up.”

It is a major blow for Notre Dame after entering the weekend ranked No. 9 in the country. The Irish must also turn around for a top-25 road trip vs. Duke in Week 5 and will certainly need to avoid another loss to have a postseason shot. Games against USC and at Clemson also remain on the schedule.

Paul Harvey

Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.