Paul Finebaum claims Ohio State should still be ranked above Georgia in College Football Playoff

Conference Championship games are in the books. Now, it’s time for the College Football Playoff to put out its final selection committee rankings and decide who made the 12-team field this season. In some cases, bubble teams will find out their fate. In others, it’s more about what seed they end up with. For both Ohio State and Georgia, it’s the ladder debate regarding seeding.

No. 1 Ohio State would lose its conference championship game, albeit in a tight game to Indiana, which was No. 2 at the time. Meanwhile, No. 3 Georgia blew out Alabama in the SEC Championship Game. Presumably, Indiana is set to jump to No. 1, but the question is whether or not Georgia can jump Ohio State in the rankings too.

Paul Finebaum appeared on SportsCenter to discuss the chance that Georgia makes the leap to No. 2. However, as he explained in a game of “Paul-In or Paul-Out,” Finebaum doesn’t think the Bulldogs should move up from their spot at No. 3.

“I’m out,” Paul Finebaum said. “You know my SEC card tells me that I need to say that Georgia is the best team this side of the NFC South, and the SEC should have 17 teams in the Playoff even though there’s only 16 in the league, but I still don’t go along with that. Because I think that Georgia is very good. They’re playing amazing football right now.”

Georgia only has one loss on the season. That was to an Alabama team they have since beaten, making for an excellent resume. Of course, Ohio State also has an excellent resume, only losing close in the Big Ten Championship Game to an Indiana team that itself is ranked ahead of Alabama. So, combining that with Georgia’s injury issues, Finebaum thinks No. 3 is a good spot.

“They beat Texas badly. They obviously destroyed Alabama,” Finebaum said. “But there’s still a couple of flaws. They’re missing their center, [Drew] Bobo, and I think that could hurt them. So, I think they’re quite alright at No. 3.”

Ultimately, the difference between No. 2 and No. 3 is not overly significant. In the 12-team format, both will receive a first round bye. It does, however, change who that first matchup is against. No. 2 plays the winner of No. 10 vs. No. 7. Then, No. 3 plays the winner of No. 11. vs. No. 6. Until those final rankings come out, it’s hard to say which matchup would be preferable.

The selection committee is meeting in Grapevine, Texas, to discuss these final rankings. Those are set to come out on Sunday, December 7th, at 12:00 p.m. EST.