Paul Finebaum reveals his pick for the College Football Playoff team with best chance to unseat Georgia

The Georgia Bulldogs enter the College Football Playoff as the odds on favorites to win it all. So, the question is, who could stop the Bulldogs from repeating? On a recent episode of Frist Take, SEC expert Paul Finebaum revealed his pick for which team has the best chance to unseat Georgia and claim the crown of College Football National Champions.

“This is a Hobson’s choice question because there really isn’t a good answer,” said Finebaum. “Because I’m forced to, I’ll say Ohio State. Primarily because of CJ Stroud. On a given day, maybe with all the compliments around him with Marvin Harrison, he could explode and cause Georgia some issues. Although, I’m not counting on that.

“I think Michigan has a really ground-it-out team. They’re very solid, but I don’t think they’re going to be a match for Georgia. And I know you can’t compare last year to this year, but Georgia just toyed with them like a mouse and a cat last year. I don’t think that would be any better this year. TCU, if they sneak in there, could create some issues. But I’m going with Georgia with a question that really doesn’t have a good answer. It’s all Georgia.”

According to Vegas, Georgia comes in as the overall betting favorite, with their odds at -133. Behind the Bulldogs is the pair of Big Ten teams, Michigan and Ohio State, at +296 and +354. And to call TCU a dark horse would be an understatement. The Horned Frogs’ odds are the lowest at +1680.

Breaking down Georgia and TCU’s chances

Georgia: It’s no surprise the Bulldogs are the favored of the four. After completing back-to-back undefeated regular seasons and this time capping it off with an SEC championship, there has been little reason to doubt Georgia. To boot: Only one Georgia game this season has been decided by single digits. Behind a defense that has rather seamlessly kept up an elite level despite producing a bevy of NFL draft and a diversified, efficient offense that can pour on the points, it’s seemingly the Bulldogs trophy to lose right now.

TCU: The Horned Frogs are your 2022-23 College Football Playoff team of destiny. They are riding an improbable 12-0 regular season under first-year head coach Sonny Dykes to the Big 12 title game. An overtime loss there didn’t cost TCU a shot at the championship in the postseason, but Vegas isn’t high on the Horned Frogs magic continuing. TCU proved its mettle against a deep league that never offered an easy out in 2022, but dealing with the heft and skill of Michigan and then either Ohio State or Georgia at the line of scrimmage looks to potentially be too much for the Horned Frogs to handle.

The Big Ten’s chances at a national championship

Michigan: Whether the Wolverines would win in a neutral site rematch against Ohio State, or be favored, remains to be seen. But Michigan has slightly better odds to win the title and that likely has to do with the semifinal matchup. The Wolverines face a TCU team that Vegas clearly sees as lesser than the other three teams. And thus, are perceived to have an easier path to the championship game.

Ohio State: While the Buckeyes would potentially be favored in a title game rematch against Michigan — and certainly over TCU — the challenge is actually getting there. Ohio State is one of the few teams in the country that can go prospect-for-prospect with Georgia down the roster. But the question remains: Can the Ohio State defense shape up and handle the Bulldogs’ offense? An offense that has notably better talent than Michigan and wishes to impose its will at the line of scrimmage in a similar way?