Paul Finebaum: 'Georgia fans are in one of most dismal stretches of football they'll see'

One of the most challenging parts of being the defending national champion is simply dealing with the heavy burden of expectations. Just ask Georgia, which has many fans less than pleased after a 39-22 win over Kent State over the weekend.

Reality, though, is the Bulldogs are likely to be able to sleepwalk through the next month of the season. That’ll make for the occasional snoozer or sloppy game, ESPN analyst Paul Finebaum said.

“So what? I mean Alabama has been dealing with this forever,” Finebaum said on the McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning program. “Quit getting hung up on a game. Georgia fans right now, Cole, are in one of the most dismal stretches of football they’re going to see in a long time.”

Outside of a season opener against then-No. 11 Oregon, Georgia’s first half to the 2022 schedule is completely forgettable.

So if you’re a Bulldogs fan, get ready for some boring, potentially ugly, maybe even uninspired football over the next couple weeks. Now, that’s not what coach Kirby Smart will be expecting to see, by any means. Nor will it necessarily be acceptable.

As Finebaum puts it, however, it’s a simple reality.

Georgia football schedule is light the next month

Following that Oregon game, here’s what Georgia has faced: Samford, at South Carolina, Kent State. It doesn’t get a whole lot better the next three weeks, either.

“They played Kent State. Missouri this week,” Finebaum said. “What is it? Vanderbilt and Auburn or Auburn and Vanderbilt? However that stretch runs, Georgia cumulatively is going to favored by about a billion points over these next two to three weeks.”

The ESPN personality exaggerates, of course, but it might as well be a billion.

Georgia opened as a 27.5-point favorite over Missouri on the road, nearly four touchdowns. The line against Auburn at home might well be bigger, and who knows about Vanderbilt.

Bottom line for Finebaum: Don’t get overly hung up on results the next couple weeks. Until a bye week on Oct. 22 and the subsequent showdown with SEC East rival Florida on Oct. 29, there’s not going to be a whole lot for fans of the defending national champs to look forward to on Georgia’s football schedule.

“They’ll have a good game and a bad game, really,” Finebaum said. “They’re not going to be tested, and Kent State just happened to be that team that caught Georgia on an early kick that they were not overly motivated and Stetson (Bennett IV) made some mistakes and it doesn’t mean one thing.”