Finebaum on Bama-UGA: ‘The best college football game in the SEC I have seen’

Paul Finebaum has seen it all covering SEC football for more than four decades, but the Alabama-Georgia thriller in Tuscaloosa on Saturday might take the cake.

The Crimson Tide walked away the winners of a slobber-knocker inside Bryant-Denny Stadium, beating the Bulldogs 41-34 behind the heroics of quarterback Jalen Milroe and wide receiver Ryan Williams, capped by a game-sealing interception from freshman cornerback Zabien Brown.

The SEC Network host appeared on ESPN to break down what the world saw, and it’s safe to say the “Mouth of the South” was more than impressed.

“I’ve covered the SEC for more than 40 years. You can see that on my face right here,” Finebaum said. “But I believe that’s the best college football game in the SEC I have seen during all those years.”

Finebaum said he doesn’t consider us prisoners of the moment either, not after watching Alabama jump out to a 28-0 first half lead and Georgia storming back in the fourth quarter to set up an unbelievable finish in an instant classic.

“You saw the comeback, you saw the ending,” Finebaum said. “It had everything you could have.

He called Bama-Georgia the “the best rivalry in the SEC” and “two of the best teams in the entire country,” noting that they may or may not play again this season.

“It had absolutely everything,” Finebaum said. “Nobody left anything on the field. They put it all out there. If you ask who was the better team, the better team won, but the next time it could be different.”

During “SEC Nation” on Saturday, Finebaum spoke about the Alabama and Georgia series the last several years and how the Tide’s lopsided advantage reflects on Smart and the perception of him as one of the nation’s best coaches.

“I think he will answer that question tonight because if Georgia loses, they’ve got a serious Alabama problem,” Finebaum said Saturday morning. “I mean, everyone had a Saban problem. Except there was one moment in 2014 and 2015, (Hugh) Freeze did not have a Saban problem — but he had other problems.

“I know Kirby Smart has a lot of pressure on him. … If Kirby Smart walks off the field tonight a loser, we start to look at him a little different. You got the break of your career, you got rid of Nick Saban and you’re still losing to Alabama.”

A Georgia loss does not mean Smart’s team falls out of the College Football Playoff race. In fact, the Bulldogs may not leave the top five in most rankings. But the win does put Alabama in the driver’s seat to control their own destiny as a they compete for a spot in the SEC Championship Game and a potential bye in the newly expanded playoff.

But it’s a long season, as the Tide hit the road to face Vanderbilt Oct. 5 and then welcome South Carolina to Tuscaloosa Oct. 12, with a very talented Tennessee road matchup looming Oct. 19.