Paul Finebaum Offers Surprise Early Pick in 'Massive' Alabama-Georgia Matchup

It’s only Wednesday, but for a game with as much significance as Saturday’s Georgia-Alabama game holds, there’s no sense in waiting to get insights on how this matchup might break. The No. 2 Bulldogs (3-0) will go into Tuscaloosa to face the Crimson Tide (also 3-0), ranked No. 4 in the nation, and they will do so as a slight favorite, in the range of 1.5-2.5 points, via Vegas Insider .

ESPN college football guru Paul Finebaum already has an idea where his pick will land. Speaking on “Get Up!” on Wednesday, Finebaum said he’s going with the Tide.

“Leaning toward Alabama, and it’s based on how well they have played and how confusing and discombobulated at times Georgia has looked.” Finebaum told host Mike Greenberg.

Georgia opened its season with a win over Clemson in which the score was just 6-0 at halftime, before the Bulldogs clicked in the second half. A blowout over Tennessee Tech followed, but the offensive issues the team had in the Clemson game came back in last week’s win over Kentucky, by an unconvincing 13-12 margin.

Alabama, meanwhile, has outscored opponents, 147-26, through three games in an impressive start for new coach Kalen DeBoer. Finebaum highlights what an important game this is for DeBoer in establishing himself as Nick Saban’s successor.

“It’s massive, and some of it is because of the perception,” Finebaum said. “Going into the season, I thought Georgia would be a much bigger favorite. But they have played poorly, nearly losing to Kentucky. Alabama has looked great, and DeBoer has had a seamless transition, which is almost inconceivable considering he was replacing Nick Saban. But he’s done almost everything right.”

But the team’s early success has raised the bar for DeBoer and Alabama football.

“The fans right now cannot accept the fact that things have changed—they think they’re still in charge of college football,” Finebaum said. “I don’t want to tell them that they’re not, that Texas is actually No. 1. But the real problem is that a loss here would be a shock to the system. Mondays after an Alabama loss are like nothing else because they happen so infrequently.”