Paul Finebaum names biggest threat to Ohio State in College Football Playoff picture

Television and radio personality Paul Finebaum | Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images

In between Week 13 and Week 14 of college football, as the regular season draws to a close, SEC Network analyst Paul Finebaum chimed in on the national championship picture. Ohio State is the clear top dog with their undefeated 2025 record and 2024 CFP title trophy, but who is No. 2? That's the question Finebaum answered during a guest spot on SportsCenter.

The SportsCenter hosts asked Finebaum, via pun, if he was "Paul In" or "Paul Out" on a range of college football questions. One of them asked if Georgia was the biggest threat to the No. 1 Buckeyes of any team in the country right now, given their one-loss record and impressive winning streak of late. Finebuam says...

"Paul In on that," he ruled. "And there’s one specific reason: their physicality. We saw it, not this week, but we saw it last week against Texas. I mean, they manhandled Texas at the line of scrimmage." That's supposedly a pretty physical Texas team, too. Aside from the loss at home to Alabama, Georgia has cruised against a staunch schedule.

"They only have one blemish on the calendar and that’s against Alabama," Finebaum added. "They have a couple of other close calls, but in the last couple of weeks, they have played best of the year." Now that the SEC title game is back within reach, Paul Finebaum has the Dawgs taking care of business if they do sneak into the showdown in Atlanta.

Georgia celebrates winning the SEC championship game | Joshua L. Jones / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"I think they are in a position, if they get to the SEC title game, to win it," Finebaum added. "And, of course, they will get to the Playoff and I think they will be a nightmare for everyone, perhaps, except Ohio State."

So, per Finebaum's estimation, Ohio State remains the clear-cut favorite to storm straight back through the College Football Playoff to repeat as national champions in the first and now second editions of the expanded CFP field. Of course, they also were the first team to be crowned winner of the first ever four-team Playoff back about a decade ago.

As for Georgia, the Bulldogs are 10-1 and winning moreso with offense than twist in a surreal twist for a Kirby Smart outfit. But he sure seems to love this team the way he's talked them up in the press, and how you not, because these Dawgs seem to come away victorious a heck of a lot more often than not in close contests.