Paul Finebaum: Alabama's dynasty is dead if Georgia wins third straight national championship

After a run of dominance in the 2010s by Alabama, Georgia has taken over the 2020s so far with a combined 29-1 record and a pair of national titles, including one over Alabama, in 2021 and 2022.

Even so, Paul Finebaum says the ‘Dawgs are still one step away from ending the Crimson Tide’s dynasty and cementing one of their own. On First Take on Friday, Finebaum spoke about how Kirby Smart’s recent run and growing power in Athens is only adding yet another problem to Nick Saban’s plate.

“You understand, Nick Saban? First of all, he’s got problems right now,” said Finebaum. “He still hasn’t come up with a quarterback and he’s got Texas in two weeks. And that’s on his mind at the moment.

“But, yeah, I mean he has seen Kirby Smart take his blueprint over to Athens and now has a better program. That hurts,” Finebaum continued.

While they have been a thorn in Alabama’s side, though, Finebaum doesn’t yet believe that they’ve overtaken them just yet. However, a win in this year’s College Football Playoff, with it being their third consecutive and making it the first three-peat in the modern era of the sport, would end that conversation in his mind.

“In terms of beating him? I don’t think that rivalry has quite reached that point,” Finebaum said. “Now, if Kirby wins this year, let’s quit talking about, ‘Is the dynasty dead at Alabama?’ That’s not even a conversation with Kirby having won three in a row. But he hasn’t done that yet.”

A three-peat will give Smart something that even Saban doesn’t have on his resume. It will also only further solidify the Bulldogs as the premier program in college football considering they would have accomplished something that hasn’t been done since Minnesota did it in the mid-1930s.

Saban has several other things to worry about before he can even consider Georgia. Still, with the Bulldogs marching toward history, they might officially manage to put a time of death on the Crimson Tide’s run if they were to hoist the trophy in Houston come January 8th, 2024.

Finebaum: Nick Saban ‘is not thinking about Kirby Smart’

Paul Finebaum doesn’t believe Nick Saban has Kirby Smart on his mind, despite what pundits may think.

According to Finebaum, one thing alone matters and that’s trophies when it’s all said and done. He has seven of them and, at the moment, the eight has his focus rather than what’s going on in Athens.

“For Nick Saban? It’s about national championships. And I know the narrative has changed but come on now. He’s got a 4-1 record against Kirby Smart. He beat him two years ago in the SEC Championship and lost the rematch, which really didn’t matter. But I don’t think people are — at least where I am — obsessed about that rivalry just yet,” explained Finebaum. “Maybe after Kirby wins again? But Nick Saban wants a championship. He has won seven. Another one puts him at eight. I mean, he’s running away from Mount Rushmore right now with another championship.

“He’s not thinking about Kirby Smart. He’s thinking about holding the trophy up.”

Nevertheless, everyone will continue to compare the two of them throughout the season. Whether it’s Kirby Smart or Nick Saban who gets the better of one another, they’re focused on winning a national title, and the season will be considered a disappointment if it doesn’t end that way.