Paul Finebaum: Alabama 'should be in' College Football Playoff with win over Georgia

Alabama can make the College Football Playoff race very interesting with a win over Georgia in the SEC Championship.

ESPN’s Paul Finebaum said the Crimson Tide should be in the final four with a win over the Bulldogs. Georgia is the two-time defending champion and is currently No. 1 in the country.

But can Alabama make that jump into the top four with a win? Finebaum thinks that should punch the Crimson Tide’s ticket.

“I believe a win over Georgia, Alabama should be in because I believe they will be one of the four best teams in the country,” Finebaum said on SportsCenter. “And I know the analytics police will be out in mass this week talking about numbers. But if you’re a college football observer, you watch Alabama play and it’s not pretty at times but they’re really extremely good and exceptional. 

“What they have done since that loss on September 9 (against) Texas is phenomenal. For Jalen Milroe to pull that play off, also beating Georgia, the No. 1 team in the country, the best team in the last three years should not matter. But I think it could be in the heads of that committee out in Dallas.”

Well, for this to even be a conversation, Alabama had to beat rival Auburn in a wild Iron Bowl. Quarterback Jalen Milroe found Isaiah Bond on 4th and Goal from the 31-yard line in what will go down as a memorable moment in this series.

That go-ahead touchdown improved Alabama’s record to 11-1 and kept the Crimson Tide in the CFP race. It’s fair to say a win over Georgia makes Alabama playoff worthy after next week.

This team certainly rallies at the biggest moments.

“That’s what this team has done all year,” head coach NIck Saban said postgame. “We’ve come from behind many times, made plays when we’ve had to make them, whether it was the LSU game in the second half, whether it was the Tennessee game in the second half, whether it was the Ole Miss game in the second half. 

“And this game today, it speaks volumes for the competitive character of these guys and the resiliency they have to keep fighting in the game. And it should be a lesson for everybody in life. Overcome adversity, man. If you’ve got the ability to do that, you’ve got a great chance to be successful.”

So Alabama can cause College Football Playoff chaos next week, but the Crimson Tide have to win first. That’s why they play the game. Georgia can put this conversation to bed by simply winning next week.