Despite missing last season’s College Football Playoff, Georgia still enters the 2024 campaign as a favorite. Paul Finebaum didn’t go against the grain when picking the Bulldogs to win their third national championship in the last four years.
The ESPN analyst delivered his title prediction on Thursday’s Get Up. He’s backing Georgia despite seeing one major threat to the throne.
“I like Georgia. I’m not as sold on Georgia as I was last year, and the reason why I’m a little bit leery is Ohio State may have the best roster — as we continue to say,” Finebaum said. “But Georgia is still the pick to win it all.”
Heather Dinich concurred, but Mike Greenberg picked the Buckeyes to “get their money’s worth” on a roster that cost around $20 million to assemble.
Georgia opens the season No. 1 in the AP’s preseason Top 25. The Buckeyes are second, and those two juggernauts are seen as the chalk choices to navigate the first 12-team College Football Playoff.
Kirby Smart’s team was on the three-peat path for most of 2023. However, an SEC Championship Game loss to Alabama ended Georgia’s undefeated season and shoved the previously top-seeded team out of the CFP field.
Georgia is positioned to make another championship run behind quarterback Carson Beck and a stacked defense. Yet it won’t be an easy path.
Along with opening the season against Clemson, the Bulldogs will face No. 4 Texas, No. 5 Alabama, and No. 6 Ole Miss on the road. That gives them plenty of chances to prove they remain the team to beat.
Related: Paul Finebaum Thinks Alabama Is ‘Overrated’ Heading Into 2024 Season