Paul Finebaum claims 'nobody's afraid of Georgia anymore' following Sugar Bowl loss to Notre Dame

After missing out on the College Football Playoff a year ago, Georgia entered the 2024 season with national championship aspirations, once again. The Bulldogs were the preseason No. 1 team, but lost two regular season games for the first time since the COVID-impacted 2020 season before winning the SEC Championship.

Then, the season came to an early end in the Sugar Bowl with a loss to Notre Dame. It marks Georgia’s first three-loss campaign since 2018 – and, according to Paul Finebaum, he doesn’t think teams are afraid of the Bulldogs anymore.

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Finebaum sees Georgia’s situation similar to Alabama’s, which also lost three games in the first season post-Nick Saban. The transfer portal has created more parity, and that’s part of the reason UGA might have more questions at the moment.

“Somebody asked me earlier, ‘Hey, is this the end of Georgia?’ It’s not the end of Georgia,” Finebaum said on The Matt Barrie Show. “But just like we said earlier this year, nobody’s afraid of Alabama anymore. Nobody’s afraid of Georgia anymore. That’s how quickly it goes, but the portal does it to everyone. But there are a lot of questions.”

The difference-maker, according to Finebaum, was the SEC Championship. Georgia came away with the victory over Texas to secure an automatic berth in the College Football Playoff bracket, but lost its quarterback in the process. Carson Beck – on the final play before halftime – went down with a UCL injury that later required surgery, meaning his season was over and Gunner Stockton came in.

Stockton looked strong in the Sugar Bowl, completing 20 of 32 passes for 234 yards and a touchdown, but fumble twice – including one lost on a strip-sack deep in Georgia’s own territory as the second half started to wind down. Finebaum pointed out the impact the SEC Championship had and said that was where the season looked over.

“Ultimately, I’m sure Lane Kiffin is probably wondering, is somebody going to give me an apology for saying nobody really wants to go to the SEC championship game?” Finebaum said. “Because frankly, that’s where the rest of the season was lost. It was a Pyrrhic victory. They won that battle, but they lost the war because they lost Carson Beck.

“And he was not perfect. Carson Beck was far from a vintage quarterback this year. But I would’ve trusted him a whole lot more than Gunner Stockton yesterday.”