Paul Finebaum Sends Clear Warning to Kirby Smart Before Alabama Showdown
Newsweek · C · trust 44/100
0 Share Newsweek is a Trust Project member See more of our trusted coverage when you search. Prefer Newsweek on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search. Georgia and Alabama are set to face off on Saturday in Tuscaloosa, another high-profile clash between two of the powerhouse programs in college football .
But with both teams undefeated, it raises the question: who has more to lose this week?
Voice of the SEC Paul Finebaum gave his take on Wednesday's episode of "Get Up," putting the pressure squarely on Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs.
"I think it's bigger for Georgia because of what they have in front of them," Finebaum said. "Alabama has really exceeded expectations so far, and their schedule has gotten easier because some of the teams I thought they might lose to have gotten weaker. But Georgia has a very difficult schedule, and think about this for a second. In the last two seasons, Kirby Smart has lost to Kalen DeBoer in the regular season. He did get him last year in the SEC Championship game, but the idea of Kirby Smart losing three straight seasons in the regular season to Kalen DeBoer is almost unthinkable when you think about Kirby Smart as being the premier coach."
Smart is still widely considered the best coach in the best conference in college football. He has gone 122-21 over 11 seasons at Georgia, including five straight double-digit-win seasons heading into this year, and he already has the Bulldogs at 5-0. Over that span, he has won four SEC titles, three SEC Coach of the Year awards, and two national championships.
Yet DeBoer surprisingly leads the head-to-head series 2-1, with wins over the Bulldogs in September of the 2024 and 2025 seasons. Georgia defeated Alabama in the SEC Championship Game last season, but it's still wild to think another coach in the conference has actually gotten the better of Smart in recent years.
With Saturday's game in Tuscaloosa, the Crimson Tide enter as narrow 1.5-point favorites. Another win for DeBoer would immediately make Alabama the team to beat in the SEC and put all the pressure on Georgia, which faces a brutal upcoming schedule against ranked opponents Florida, Ole Miss, and Missouri, three CFP hopefuls that have already pulled off big upsets this season.
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