Paul Finebaum claims 'hollow feeling' for major college football program

Paul Finebaum says he has a 'hollow feeling' about a Power Four program after a disappointing finish to its season.

Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart reacts after a play against the Ole Miss Rebels in the third quarter during the 2026 Sugar Bowl | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

The 2025 college football season has concluded for the SEC. No. 6 Ole Miss was eliminated from the College Football Playoff by No. 10 Miami (31-27) in the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl on Thursday.

The Rebels defeated SEC champion and No. 3 seed Georgia (39-34) in the Allstate Sugar Bowl to reach the College Football Playoff semifinals. Georgia has been near the top of the college football landscape for most of the last decade, appearing in five College Football Playoffs and winning two national championships.

However, three years have passed between the Bulldogs' last national championship and the end of their 2025 season. Expecting a national championship victory every single season is unreasonable for most fan bases, but Georgia has been stuck with disappointing finishes each of the past three seasons.

College football media personality Paul Finebaum highlighted the Bulldogs' repeated disappointment in the years following their last national championship. He spoke about the end result on "Mac and Cube" on WJOX in Birmingham, Alabama.

SEC Nation analyst Paul Finebaum looks on prior to the game between the Texas A&M Aggies and the Missouri Tigers | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

"Georgia fans can beat their chest and talk about 'we still won two national championships in '21 and '22, that's great, but it just felt empty," Finebaum said. "And I don't want to diminish the SEC championship. That's significant, but both of these last two years of winning the SEC championship and then immediately losing the Sugar Bowl leave a rather hollow feeling about the Georgia football program right now."

In 2023, the Bulldogs were a perfect 12-0 in the regular season and won the SEC East division in its final year of existence. Georgia lost to Alabama (27-24) in the SEC Championship, and because the College Football Playoff had not expanded to 12 teams by that point, the Crimson Tide played in the College Football Playoff while the Bulldogs were sent to the Orange Bowl, where they defeated Florida State (63-3).

Georgia Bulldogs running back Kendall Milton (2) holds the MVP game trophy with offensive lineman Sedrick Van Pran (63) | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The Bulldogs were 10-2 in the 2024 regular season, suffering losses at Alabama (41-34) and Ole Miss (28-10). They defeated Texas (22-19) for a second time in the SEC Championship, but they lost starting quarterback Carson Beck to injury in the process. Georgia fell to Notre Dame (23-10) in the Sugar Bowl with Gunner Stockton at quarterback.

Stockton started the entirety of 2025 for Georgia, leading it to an 11-1 record with a home loss to Alabama (24-21) on Sept. 27. The Bulldogs avenged their regular-season loss in the SEC Championship game (28-7), but disaster once again struck in the Sugar Bowl.

Georgia is not alone in its struggles to win a College Football Playoff game after receiving a first-round bye. In the two years since the College Football Playoff expanded to 12 teams, only the 2025 Indiana team has won coming off the bye.