Paul Finebaum predicts 3 teams who can knock off Georgia
After two full years of Georgia's dominance in college football, veteran journalist Paul Finebaum has identified potential schools to knock the Bulldogs off the summit.
Georgia has held the college football national championship title for two consecutive seasons. To put it lightly, the talk of stopping the “Daugs” reign must resonate in so many locker rooms.
But the college football national championship is no child’s play. Many schools can dream, but only a handful can lay a full claim to being contenders. While appearing on ESPN's "First Take," Paul Finebaum suggested three schools he thinks have a shot at ending Georgia’s dominance.
Paul Finebaum's prediction on Georgia's successor as college football kings
Finebaum’s guess is that Alabama, Ohio State and USC are the three most likely teams to win the national championship in the coming season. These three teams are very hard choices to disagree with.
Apart from being prestigious football programs with strong histories, the teams have done a great job recruiting and upgrading their rosters from last season.
But Finebaum defended his choices. He said:
“I think, within the SEC, Alabama would be the best bet. That does not take a rocket scientist, which I’m not, to come up with.”
It really doesn’t take a rocket scientist, like Finebaum said, to recognize the potential of the Alamaba team coached by the legendary Nick Saban.
About Ohio State, he said:
“There’s still an issue about how the quarterback situation will land. Other than that, they probably have as much talent, if not more, as anyone in the country.”
Finebaum, however, thinks USC may be some sort of a surprise element. He puts it thus:
“If you’re looking for a wildcard, certainly Southern Cal with the Heisman Trophy winner, Caleb Williams.”
Whichever team ends up the national champions, Paul Finebaum believes it wouldn’t be Georgia.
The idea of Georgia doing a three-peat has been making rounds in college football circles. But despite Kirby Smart’s wealth of experience attempting a similar feat at Alabama from 2011 to 2013, Finebaum puts it beyond the present Georgia team.
“After having said all that, I don’t think Georgia is going to do what no one has done,” he said.
Finebaum also remembered to mention Smart’s part in the last attempt by any team to achieve the three-peat. Smart was the defensive coordinator for the Alabama Crimson Tide 10 years ago when they failed to accomplish that feat.
Paul Finebaum believes Kirby Smart has a chance to do what he couldn't as an assistant to Nick Saban.