Paul Finebaum predicts Alabama will defeat Georgia in SEC Championship

The SEC Championship is set after a chaotic Rivalry Week. Now, a pair of familiar foes are set to battle in Atlanta, with the Alabama Crimson Tide and Georgia Bulldogs battling for a championship yet again.

Ahead of that SEC Championship Game, Paul Finebaum appeared on SportsCenter. There, during a game of ‘Paul-In or Paul-Out,’ he predicted that Alabama is going to take down Georgia to win the SEC.

“I’m in,” Paul Finebaum said. “I once picked Georgia against Alabama, and a friend of mine said, ‘Don’t ever pick Georgia against Alabama.’ Guys, you know it. The record is pretty supportive of Alabama winning. I think it’s 9 out of the last 10.”

Alabama and Georgia have been playing football against one another since 1895 and have met 75 different times since then. The Crimson Tide hold a record of 45-26-4 over that series. That includes a stretch of relative dominance in recent years. Finebaum noted it was 9 out of the last 10 in favor of Alabama. It’s actually 10 out of the last 11 now. That goes back to 2008, the second season Nick Saban was in Tuscaloosa. It also includes a 4-0 record in the SEC Championship Game, a 1-1 record in the CFP National Championship, and a 2-0 record under Saban’s replacement, Kalen DeBoer.

“Now, some will say, ‘Yeah, but weren’t most of those with Nick Saban?’ One of those losses was with Nick Saban,” Finebaum said. “But do I need to remind you that Kalen DeBoer is 2-0 against Kirby Smart? Nobody is 2-0 against Kirby Smart.”

In the last two years, DeBoer has added a pair of marquee wins against Georgia. In 2024, Alabama came out swinging and jumped out to a 21-0 first quarter lead. The Bulldogs would fight back, but in a remarkable finish, the Crimson Tide held on to win. This year, DeBoer led the Tide Between the Hedges, where they won a close 24-21 game, relying on the defense to hold on for the entire second half.

Alabama enters the game with a 10-2 record and has won two straight games. That’s after they suffered a close loss to Oklahoma on November 15th. Georgia, meanwhile, is 11-1 and has won eight games in a row since they lost their only game of the year to the Crimson Tide. Both teams were part of a group of four SEC teams to go 7-1 in conference play this season.

Kickoff for the SEC Championship Game is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. EST on Saturday, December 6th. The game will be played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. On the line are significant College Football Playoff implications. That includes a potential first round bye.