Paul Finebaum: Kirby Smart's Georgia Bulldogs are the New Alabama
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ATHENS - ESPN’s Paul Finebaum has seen enough of Kirby Smart’s No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs.
“In many ways Georgia is the new Alabama,” Finebaum proclaimed Sunday.
The Bulldogs took out South Carolina 48-7 in Columbia. Alabama beat Louisiana-Monroe 63-7 at home. Georgia jumped Bama Sunday to be the unanimous No. 1-ranked team in the country.
“Why is that so? For obvious reasons,” Finebaum continued. “They look like the best Alabama teams that Nick Saban had back, maybe a couple of years ago when Kirby Smart was his defensive coordinator.”
Kirby’s Dawgs beat Nick Saban’s Tide 33-18 last year to win the program’s first national title since 1980. Alabama defeated Georgia 26-23 in the 2017 College Football National Championship Game in Atlanta on the last play of the game.
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“I'm no ruling Alabama out - they are still a very good team. But they have holes,” Finebaum said of the Tide. “They have deficiencies. Georgia doesn't. They look like the perfect team. They look like you went into a lab and put them together.”
Both Alabama and Georgia have formed their teams with some of the best recruiting college football has seen over the last five years. Only Ohio State has been able to keep pace with the two SEC powers.
“I realize it is early, but (Georgia) beat Oregon, and we can say whatever we want, but Oregon bounced back yesterday. (Georgia) went on the road yesterday to South Carolina. We all heard how difficult that was. Well, they were up 48-0 when South Carolina got a garbage touchdown,” he said.
Saban has won six national titles at Alabama - the first four were with Kirby as defensive coordinator. Smart left to take the job at Georgia in 2016.
“Georgia is not giving up any points, and that reminds me so much of Kirby Smart, defensive coordinator under Nick Saban,” he said.
The Bulldogs have only permitted one touchdown this season.