There are several undefeated teams left in major college football, but only one that Paul Finebaum trusts above all else. That would be the two-time reigning College Football Playoff national champion Georgia Bulldogs. The No. 1 team in the nation is 7-0 on the season and 4-0 in conference play. They have been far from a perfect team, but we have seen them start to finally gel midway through 2023.
As he does every Sunday morning, Finebaum appeared The Matt Barrie Show to express his thoughts on all that went down during Week 7. While some AP voters are getting increasingly restless at putting an unproven Georgia team atop the poll, Finebaum finds comfort in his familiarity with the Dawgs. He knows exactly what he is going to get out of Kirby Smart's team, week in and week out.
At this point in time, Finebaum does not trust Michigan, Ohio State or Florida State as much as UGA.
"I cannot trust Michigan yet, because I just don't know what they're capable of. I know Georgia has been into games that they've prevailed when things were rough. I know Ohio State has played some tough games. Florida State, the Clemson game showed me a lot, but they were lucky to win.
"The [Florida State]-LSU game was so far away in the past that I don't know what to make of it. I mean, I respect what they're doing incredibly. I just feel comfortable in Georgia a little more comfortable only because I think it's the middle of the season and they're starting to turn it on."
Here is the entire episode of The Matt Barrie Show where Finebaum talked about his trust in Georgia.
Georgia will be on bye this week, as the Dawgs prepare to face arch-rival Florida down in Jacksonville.
Paul Finebaum trusts Georgia above all other college football teams
What Georgia has done up to this point has been good, but not great. The Dawgs' best win was blowing out then-No. 20 Kentucky at home two weekends ago. They played with their food a bit vs. Vanderbilt in Nashville but still got to 7-0 (4-0) anyway. While Michigan may have looked more dominant, their best win right now is over a 5-2 Rutgers team. Its non-conference slate was a joke.
Finebaum may appreciate Florida State's and Ohio State's signature win, but he went on to explain why he is siding with the Dawgs over the Buckeyes, Seminoles and Wolverines in this particular exercise.
"Maybe I answered it that way because I'm more familiar. I've seen them multiple times. But there are just so many weird things happening right now. If it were two years ago we had already, 'Okay Georgia, Alabama — Alabama, Georgia'. Last year, it was all Georgia. Could anybody get near them? And right now, I have never seen seven weeks into the season, in the CFP era, this chaotic."
Finebaum is right in that the first seven weeks of this season have been absolutely chaotic. We have not had a season like this in the College Football Playoff era. The Pac-12 has a ton of great teams, so naturally, they all beat each other up. The ACC is looking good. The Big 12 has a few teams. And as for the Big Ten and SEC, those leagues are guaranteed locks to get their conference champions into it.
I think until Georgia loses a game, the Dawgs must be the favorite to three-peat as national champs.
