Paul Finebaum: Expectations at Georgia are 'simply out of control'

With great success come greater expectations, and that’s certainly the case for Georgia football. However, SEC Network analyst Paul Finebaum believes they may be too high to be realistic.

The Bulldogs are considered by many to be building the next college football dynasty under Kirby Smart. With two national championships and a 42-2 record over the past three seasons, including winning an SEC record 29 straight games, there’s definitely a case to be made.

However, Finebaum worries that Georgia could fall into the sort of championship-or-bust mindset that we’ve seen at places like Alabama over the years.

“They run into the problem that a lot of programs, including Alabama, have had, which is that the expectations are simply out of control,” he said on McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning. “Let’s say they don’t win this year and maybe next year things go haywire and the quarterback gets hurt or somebody leaves. They have a very pedestrian 9-3 season then fans start to really get edgy. What happens then is the coach goes, ‘What else do I have to do? I’ve won two national championships.'”

To further illustrate his point, Finebaum mentioned Clemson as an example of how quickly a fanbase can grow restless once expectations become too high. The Tigers made six straight College Football Playoff appearances, making the national championship four times and winning twice between 2015-20.

However, over the past three years they’ve failed to make the CFP, and finished under 10 wins for the first time since 2010 this past season. That has created some discussion about whether Dabo Swinney is fit to be the coach in the new era of NIL and the transfer portal.

“I was talking to some Clemson people over the weekend at an event and they’re struggling right now,” Finebaum said. “They played for four national championships in a finite period of time. They were in the Playoffs one other time or maybe two other times. They feel like the world has come undone. Now, realize that their coach is a little different than Kirby Smart. He did not adapt well where Kirby did. It doesn’t take much, especially when you’ve won so successfully and the expectation is so high.

“I think the one part of this 12-team Playoff that nobody knows yet how we’ll react to is let’s say a No. 1 seed goes into the Playoff and in the second round they get upset. That would have a staggering effect. It’s one thing to lose in the semifinals or the championship game. It’s another thing to get blown out. The only point of reference I could have is Kentucky basketball lately.”

Ultimately, we’ll have to wait and see what plays out at Georgia. Smart coached under Nick Saban at Alabama and learned how to manage high expectations, so there’s certainly belief the Bulldogs are in good hands.