Paul Finebaum cites Kirby Smart's home record for choosing Georgia over Ole Miss

No. 5 Ole Miss vs. No. 9 Georgia will be played between the hedges in Athens on Saturday afternoon. That’ll be the difference in the end for the Top 10 conference matchup, according to Paul Finebaum.

Appearing on ‘Get Up’ on Friday, Finebaum picked the Bulldogs to win over the Rebels. That’s with Sanford Stadium being the venue for the game, and with the ‘Dawgs having some never-say-die to them, after slow starts in almost every game, through the first half of their season.

“Ole Miss is playing well. Chambliss, the quarterback, is unbelievable. But, I just cannot go against Kirby Smart at home,” Finebaum said. “I know, yes, thanks for telling me, that he lost the last time out against Alabama. But there’s something about this Georgia team that is resilient.

They seem beaten almost every game. They came back and beat Tennessee. They came back from way down and beat Auburn. They’re deadly at home, but they just have to start faster. That’s been their Achilles heel so far. But, I do like Georgia.”

However, Jordan Rodgers disagreed with the pick for UGA. He went with Ole Miss to win, with him expecting the Rebels’ offense to be no worse than it was last week when they nearly lost in a home upset to Wazzu.

“Well, I think Trinidad Chambliss has been fantastic. I think last week was the low point, possibly, for this offense, I think, because on the bye week, prior to Washington State, they were focused on Georgia. They were focused on this game. Trinidad has got to be able to hit the explosive plays downfield when they’re there, and that would have changed the complexion of the game last week. He was 1-4 on throws of 20+, and that is where he’s been so good this year. He’s been one of the best in the country,” Rodgers said. “Kirby Smart even mentioned that the thing about Lane Kiffin that he admires the most? His ability to adjust in-game, dial up those plays at the line of scrimmage, hit shot plays down there. That’s been where Georgia has struggled this year.”

There’s a lot in play for what’s the highest-ranked game of the weekend down in the SEC. Much of it, though, sounds like it’ll come down to if Ole Miss can execute offensively, which Rodgers thinks they can, on the road against the Bulldogs, which Finebaum thinks will be too much for the Rebels.