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Stephen A. Smith disputes Paul Finebaum while backing Ohio State as nation’s top team

Paul Harvey

By Paul Harvey

Published:

Stephen A. Smith isn’t going along with Paul Finebaum is trying to sell when it comes to the team most deserving to be No. 1 in the country.

Tuesday night, the first 2023 version of the College Football Playoff rankings was revealed. Ohio State claimed the first spot on the committee’s list with Georgia, Michigan and Florida State rounding out the top 4.

During a Wednesday appearance on ESPN’s “First Take,” Finebaum downplayed Ohio State’s wins over Notre Dame and Penn State, saying “okay, great, big deal.” He went on to say Georgia deserves to hold the top spot at this point.

“Georgia should be No. 1 and it has nothing to do with what they’ve done in the past,” said Finebaum. “It’s really about what they are right now and I still think they’re the best team in the country.”

Smith was not buying that take, pointing to an elite Buckeye defense and the impressive body of work the team as compiled through Week 9 of the season.

“I respectfully disagree. I try to defer to the great Paul Finebaum, I truly do, but the bottom line is that I’m looking at Ohio State and yes, you’ve beat Penn State, you’ve beat Notre Dame who are 11 and 15, respectively,” Smith said. “I’m just looking at it right now. Those are two victories over two top teams.

“I’m looking at the No. 2 ranked defense in the nation, the only team of the 5 undefeated teams at the top of the rankings with two wins over top 15 teams. I have to take that into consideration.”

At the end of the day, there is still a long way to go before Selection Sunday, but Ohio State is the current No. 1 team entering November.

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.