There are few people more synonymous with college football than ESPN’s Paul Finebaum, even if most people associate him only with the SEC and southern football in general. But beyond that, he is recognized as a polarizing figure when it comes to his opinions, whether people see him as right or wrong, and at the end of the day, that is what gets people listening to him both on television and the radio.

On Monday he joined 850 ESPN Cleveland to talk about the Buckeyes as everyone awaits the hopeful start of the 2020 season.

Finebaum is bullish on Ohio State’s chances this year, as long as we have a season to be talking about.

“Assuming we have a college football season, I expect the Buckeyes to be playing for the national championship,” Finebaum said on 850 ESPN Cleveland. “I’m pretty high on Ryan Day and what he has going on up there.”

Day will be entering his second season as Ohio State’s head coach, coming off of a 13-1 season that saw the Buckeyes lead Clemson for a half and have a chance at the end of the Fiesta Bowl of advancing to a championship date with LSU.

Expectations are no lower for the Buckeyes this season returning several key components including Justin Fields, Shaun Wade and a talented offensive line that will see Wyatt Davis, Thayer Munford and Josh Myers all stepping back into their starting roles.

It should be a great year two for Day, a coach that is already entering the conversation for top coaches in the country.

“I think he’s already one of the top coaches in the country… he’s just a cool guy that really understands today’s modern player,” Finebaum added. “I had my problems with Urban (Meyer) it was well known but I always respected him as a coach. I think Ryan Day is a more complete coach.”

Day picked up where Meyer and Jim Tressel left off in taking care of the final regular season game of the schedule against Michigan. Ohio State won the 2019 game in Ann Arbor (Mich.) 56-27, running the streak to eight consecutive wins, the longest run of success Ohio State has ever had in the series, just one game off of Michigan’s nine-game run from 1901-1909.

“Anybody that can humiliate Jim Harbaugh every single year on that final Saturday in November is my friend,” Finebaum said.

Under Meyer we saw “The Chase” and other titles that started off a new season. Finebaum sees this season being about redemption for the Buckeyes, after being so close to all of their goals.

“I think this whole season is about redemption from that moment (loss to Clemson) I think every Buckeye fan knows that should have been your game,” Finebaum said. “It should not have been Clemson’s game.”

That is in the past and now the focus has to be to the season at hand, as long as there are no delays or cancellations. Ohio State is slated to start the new season on September 5th against Bowling Green.