Paul Finebaum picks winner for Alabama-Georgia game in Week 5

SEC Network analyst Paul Finebaum joined the Get Up crew on Friday morning to discuss his takes on the top college football matchups of a loaded Week 5 slate, including, of course, the Alabama at Georgia game.

After dropping their non-conference opener at Florida State, Alabama must rally to nab a quality victory before they sink completely underwater in the College Football Playoff race with a second loss, while Georgia has an opportunity to place themselves on the inside track at both a CFP bid and a spot in the SEC title game with two early wins over Tennessee and 'Bama.

While 'Bama and head coach Kalen DeBoer need this one more than Georgia, at this stage in the season, Finebaum just sees a superior roster and staff on the home side to make this a fairly easy pick.

“I like Georgia, and there are a lot of reasons for that," Finebaum shared. "But I think they just look a little bit more complete. Now, Alabama has been fantastic in the last two games but they were so bad in that opening game. And Georgia has been very consistent. They haven’t been spectacular. They nearly let the Tennessee game get away, but the fact that they didn’t… a win at home seems to be in the cards."

While Finebaum isn't picking his team, he does believe Kalen DeBoer could really help himself out with a win in this particular game.

“Remember, last year, he did not make the playoffs and it seemed like this season was playoff or bust," Finebaum explained. "And here we are, we’re not even through September and those odds are not good for him."

If Alabama can't score a win in either of its first two opportunities against quality opponents, making back ground in the playoff race, with their schedule, is simply going to be tough.

"The problem with losing this game is the schedule ahead," Finebaum added. "They still have an enormous slate, including Tennessee and LSU and Oklahoma and at Missouri and at South Carolina and at Auburn. It almost seems, if you cannot win this game, to be insurmountable that he could find his way back, and he has to get to the playoffs to have a reasonably calm offseason.”

You definitely don't want to be in a situation where a road game at Georgia is must-win, but that's where DeBoer sits if he wants breathing room before heading into a tough October.

Read more on College Football HQ