Paul Finebaum reveals his biggest takeaways from the SEC in October

October has been a wild month in the SEC, with unexpected teams rising to the top while others suffered stunning downward spirals. On Sunday, Paul Finebaum revealed his biggest takeaways from the SEC this past month, starting with his latest thoughts on the Alabama Crimson Tide.

“Alabama, they survived,” Finebaum said. “Nobody got more attention than Alabama. What was really interesting that hearing the noise from behind a microphone all week and being there for 24 hours — it just didn’t seem as bad. Everybody was still fairly confident.

“I had an interview with the athletic director, Greg Byrne, on Friday, and I realized some of this is for show. I mean, we’re sitting in front of cameras, but I didn’t detect a panic situation. The fans were on the brink, but they were holding on because they are Alabama after all, and that carries them a long way. But, I think they dodged it.”

It was a bumpy ride for Alabama fans in October. The Crimson Tide kicked off the month with an inconceivable 40-35 loss to Vanderbilt. They followed up the lackluster performance with a narrow 27-25 win over South Carolina before losing again to Tennessee in Week 8.

Alabama finally showed signs of life this past Saturday with a 34-0 blowout win over Missouri. Nonetheless, things looked undeniably shaky for a moment in head coach Kalen DeBoer‘s first season with the program.

Now, Alabama will have a chance to finish the season strong, with LSU being the only ranked opponent remaining on its schedule. While Finebaum claims Alabama survived October, he believes other teams thrived.

Paul Finebaum crowns Georgia as top team in the SEC

“[Georgia] looked unbeatable, even playing terribly at times against Texas,” Finebaum said. “We’re back to where we all began, thinking Georgia’s the best team and we switched about three or four times now in the SEC.”

After suffering a 41-34 loss to Alabama to close September, the Bulldogs went 3-0 in October, capping off the month with a convincing 30-15 victory over Texas in Week 8. In Finebaum’s eyes, the win firmly placed Georgia as the top team in the SEC.

It’s difficult to argue otherwise. The Bulldogs were dominant in the triumph, squeezing four turnovers out of the Longhorns and forcing them to temporarily bench quarterback Quinn Ewers.

Alas, the season is far from over for Georgia. No. 19 Ole Miss and No. 7 Tennessee still lie ahead for the Bulldogs. With postseason hopes on the line, November has a chance to produce even more shocking outcomes than the past month.