Paul Finebaum Names College Football Week 8’s Most Disappointing Performance

A week after toppling No. 1 Georgia in Athens, an SEC team lost by 21 at home, and the ESPN analyst now questions what that upset proved.

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ESPN analyst Paul Finebaum named Auburn’s 38-17 home loss to LSU the most disappointing performance of Week 8, a verdict that lands one week after the Tigers stunned then-No. 1 Georgia 27-24 in Athens.

Finebaum made the comment Sunday on The Matt Barrie Show while discussing Georgia’s Oct. 31 matchup with Florida, saying, “The Auburn game was to be dismissed. The most disappointing performance yesterday, among the millions, was Auburn. But Georgia, I think a week off was the best thing to happen to them.”

Auburn’s letdown after beating Georgia

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No. 18 LSU scored on five of its six first-half possessions and carried a 31-10 lead into halftime at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Auburn coach Alex Golesh’s offense, which ran for 192 yards in its win over Georgia, managed 67 rushing yards on 35 attempts, and LSU sacked quarterback Byrum Brown six times.

LSU outgained Auburn 552 yards to 271, and its defense produced a havoc play on 26% of Auburn’s snaps, compared with 10% for Auburn’s defense. The loss dropped Auburn to 4-3 and 2-3 in SEC play, and the Tigers have now lost 11 of their last 13 home games against Power Four opponents.

Golesh didn’t soften his assessment afterward. “There’s no silver lining. There’s no anything. That was bad in every imaginable way,” he said, adding, “We’ve had the high of highs, and that was the low of lows.” Auburn visits Ole Miss on Oct. 31.

Why does Finebaum doubt Auburn’s upset?

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Finebaum treated the Georgia result as a product of circumstance rather than evidence of where Golesh’s first-year program stands.

“I know you can’t make a case, ‘Well, Auburn did what Auburn did the week before.’ That doesn’t matter,” Finebaum said. “That always felt a little fluky to me, Matt. It always felt like Georgia was the team beat up that day and not coming off the bye.”

Auburn caught the Bulldogs one week after their 20-17 win at Alabama. Quarterback Gunner Stockton hit the field helmet-first on the first play from scrimmage, then committed three turnovers, including a fumble at the Auburn 46 with 58 seconds left that set up kicker Alex McPherson’s 34-yard winner. Running back Nate Frazier, back from a rib injury, gained 19 yards on nine carries.

Finebaum wasn’t alarmed about Georgia after that loss either. The Bulldogs (6-1), No. 5 in last week’s AP poll, used Week 8 as their open date before facing Florida at 3:30 p.m. ET on Oct. 31, with the rivalry moving to Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium this year. Florida (5-2) also had a bye after its 27-24 win at Texas.

LSU’s bye before Alabama showdown

Finebaum saved his praise for Lane Kiffin’s team. “They looked like an elite team yesterday,” he said.

Quarterback Sam Leavitt completed 32 of 45 passes for a career-high 387 yards and three touchdowns and ran for a fourth score, while wide receiver Jackson Harris caught nine passes for 178 yards and two touchdowns. The win moved LSU to 6-2 and 3-2 in the SEC and ended an eight-game SEC road losing streak dating to 2024. Finebaum said last week that LSU was “a factor again” after its 31-0 win over Mississippi State.

LSU hosts Alabama on Nov. 7, and Finebaum likes the timing.

“LSU is getting a bye right now for Alabama, and Alabama struggled to get through Texas A&M,” Finebaum said. “I feel pretty good about LSU’s chances in that game. ... LSU is a team that I am really intrigued by.”

The Crimson Tide trailed the 4-4 Aggies 20-17 entering the fourth quarter before outscoring them 14-0 to win 31-20 and snap a two-game losing streak.