Paul Finebaum: One-loss Georgia 'definitely should be in' College Football Playoff
There is a crowded field of teams competing for a limited number of College Football Playoff spots this season. Still, even if Georgia loses the SEC Championship Game, he believes that the Bulldogs should be in the Playoff.
Finebaum added the caveat that this might change in a blowout but pushed that Georgia should be a Playoff team, win or lose the SEC Championship.
“One caveat, if it’s a close game,” Paul Finebaum said on SportsCenter. “If it’s a blowout, then that’s a different conversation, but if it’s a close game I think Georgia definitely should be in for all the reasons that we’ve laid out here.”
Finebaum then compared Georgia to Florida State directly, arguing that a one-loss Georgia is more deserving than an unbeaten Florida State.
“In the head-to-head with Florida State, there’s just no match at all. Florida State is a good team and their best win came early in the season against a three-loss LSU team and then later against a four-loss Clemson team,” Finebaum said.
“Florida State needed to dominate last night in Gainesville and they barely won the game and now they’re playing Louisville, which just lost to Kentucky. I don’t want to hear all these analytics. To me, Georgia would definitely be a better team than FSU.”
In this scenario, there would still be potentially unbeaten conference champions in the Big Ten and Pac-12 to consider. On top of that, if Texas wins the Big 12 the Longhorns feel they have a good argument to make the Playoff. Still, along with Georgia, Finebaum would put Alabama in the Playoff, making for a very crowded field.
“I believe a win over Georgia, Alabama should be in because I believe they will be one of the four best teams in the country,” Finebaum said. “And I know the analytics police will be out in mass this week talking about numbers. But if you’re a college football observer, you watch Alabama play and it’s not pretty at times but they’re really extremely good and exceptional.”
Heather Dinich explains why Georgia is ‘not a lock’ for CFP
One person who is not confident that Georgia has its spot in the College Football Playoff locked up is Heather Dinich. In particular, she sees Texas as an issue going forward for Georgia.
“Not a lock. Absolutely not because, like I said, conference championships matter. If you don’t win your conference you face a much higher bar in that selection committee meeting room to prove you are unequivocally one of the four best teams in the country, and if Texas does win the Big 12, Texas would have something Georgia does not, a win against the SEC Champs. That is huge,” Dinich said.
“Now, head-to-head isn’t everything. That Week 2 win in Tuscaloosa will continue to resonate, but there’s also coaches in the room, and there are people who will have a conversation saying, ‘Hey, guys. Is Georgia better than Texas? If they played today, would that happen?’ And you also have to consider the fact that a one-loss Oregon is hanging around. Is a one-loss Pac-12 champion a lock?”