Alabama will upset Georgia this week, Paul Finebaum predicts

Alabama welcomes Georgia in the biggest college football game of the year, and now Paul Finebaum has locked in his prediction for the SEC matchup.

Paul Finebaum makes his prediction for Alabama vs. Georgia. / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Kalen DeBoer embarks on the biggest game in his early Alabama tenure when the Crimson Tide plays Georgia this weekend, and according to Paul Finebaum, it should end up going his way.

Finebaum predicted that No. 4 Alabama will upset No. 2 Georgia on Saturday night and remain undefeated.

“I’m not feeling the love right now for the Dawgs,” Finebaum said on ESPN. “And two weeks ago, they were ruling the nation. But that game against Kentucky has a lot of people very nervous.”

Georgia, then the No. 1 team in college football, slogged through a 13-12 victory over the Wildcats two weeks ago, finishing with just 262 total yards and Carson Beck didn’t throw a touchdown.

And in the process, the Bulldogs lost offensive guard Tate Ratledge, who underwent tightrope surgery after suffering an ankle injury in the game.

That could leave a big hole for the Tide to exploit as this week’s game wears on.

“Carson Beck wasn’t good,” Finebaum said of the Kentucky performance. 

“They lost one of their best offensive players. Their defensive line is banged up. And they’re heading to Tuscaloosa, which is never good for the Dawgs.”

Georgia opened as a 2.5 point road favorite against Alabama, according to FanDuel Sportsbook, indicating just how close oddsmakers feel the game will be.

And so far the consensus appears to side with the Bulldogs, of whom 56 percent of bettors project will win the game and cover the narrow spread.

A loss this early in the season is no longer as costly as in years past, as the College Football Playoff expanded to 12 teams.

But the selection committee will place a heavy emphasis on this head-to-head game between such highly-ranked opponents, to judge what teams belong in what seed, and in weighing the teams’ overall resumes at the end of the season.

As a result, there’s slightly more pressure on Georgia to win given its more difficult schedule going forward, including games at now-No. 1 Texas and current No. 6 Ole Miss later on.

But Alabama’s coach is also under a microscope, already under enormous pressure having to replace Nick Saban, and needing to show the fanbase he can maintain the program’s standard in games of this magnitude.

So it’s safe to say there’s plenty on the line for these SEC powerhouses when they meet this weekend.

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