Paul Finebaum weighs in on Georgia ranking following release of first AP Top 25 poll
Few things rile up college football fans and media like the Associated Press Top 25. The first one of the season was released Monday a few weeks ahead of opening kick-off (which you can find below). The top two are usual suspects. Alabama dominated first place votes to take the top spot while Ohio State came in at No. 2. Meanwhile, reigning national champs Georgia were slotted third.
An appropriate ranking given how much the Dawgs lost off last year’s team, especially on defense? Paul Finebaum was hesitant to believe but said Monday on ESPN he buys them as the third-ranked team in the nation.
Here were his comments on Georgia’s AP Poll ranking, when asked on Sports Center about the poll by Matt Berrie:
“He has reloaded, Matt. I mean, I want to say they’re ranked too high, but when you look and say…where would you put them? There really aren’t a lot of spots. I mean, they have a completely different look defensively. Although the guys behind all those No. 1 draft choices are going to be No. 1 draft choices. And we barely knew who the No. 1 pick was (Travon Walker) when the season began last year. That’s how good Kirby Smart has recruited.
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“But they have a tricky game-opener against Oregon. Dan Lanning, the Oregon head coach, was in charge of the defense last year. And it was arguably as good a defense as we’ve ever seen.”
A crucial matchup against the architect of that 2021 defense to open the season. Win that one and UGA could be on its way to another College Football Playoff given the rather easy schedule compared to most years, according to Paul Finebaum.
For the entire AP Top 25, you can check it out right here.