Texas is a good team, but Georgia might be a great one. It will all be sorted out Between the Hedges on Friday night, as the 8-1 Bulldogs will host the 7-2 Longhorns in an SEC game for the ages. Should Georgia win, the Bulldogs will only need a win over either Charlotte or Georgia Tech to punch its ticket into the playoff. A win over Georgia would keep the playoff dream alive for Texas, who may need help.
Fortunately for us, ESPN college football analyst took some time to give his honest thoughts about the marquee matchup between the Dawgs and Horns in Athens. Not to say that he praised Georgia in his comments too much, but he did not exactly put the big brand of Texas upon a pedestal either. He viewed this game through an unbiased lens, or as much as one can with Alabama and Tennessee ties.
In the end, Georgia fans are going to love what Finebaum had to say about this matchup coming up.
Paul Finebaum refuses to overhype Texas coming into the Georgia game
Here is what Finebaum had to say to ESPN colleague Matt Barrie on Texas' chances at the upset bid.
"Slight to moderate ... It's not an impossibility because Georgia has been so inconsistent, especially in the first half. Now Saturday against Mississippi State, they finally got unleashed. They played their best game of the season, which really helped them immensely. Texas has also been on the brink all season long, coming so close in games at Mississippi State in overtime, Kentucky in overtime. So the fact that they're still alive is pretty remarkable."
According to ESPN analytics, Georgia is being given a 59.8-percent chance at the victory, when compared to Texas' 40.2-percentage chance. While FanDuel Sportsbook has the odds at Georgia laying 5.5 points to visiting Texas, ESPN Bet has the line at Georgia -6.5 as of Monday evening. As it is with anything, these things change quickly. However, Georgia looks to be the decisive home favorite.
The real key with what Finebaum had to say has everything to do with Mississippi State and Kentucky.
Paul Finebaum indirectly points out the common opponent component
Regardless of where this game is being played, there is something much deeper below the surface. This game could be played in Athens, Atlanta, Austin, or on the moon, it really does not matter. Georgia is arguably the better team. All we have to do is look at Georgia and Texas' three common opponents from their SEC slates so far. Look at the Florida, Kentucky and Mississippi State games...
Georgia beat Florida 24-20 in Jacksonville, while Texas lost to the Gators 29-21 in The Swamp. Keep in mind that Georgia could have won by 11 had Gunner Stockton not taken a knee at the one-yard line with a wide-open end zone staring him in the face. Regardless, Georgia beat Florida by four points and Texas lost to the Gators by eight. That is a 12-point difference and it should be a 19-point one...
As far as the Kentucky games are concerned, Georgia handled Kentucky at home, 35-14. Yes, things get weird at the checkout line of historic Kroger Field, especially after dark. However, Texas needed overtime to beat the Wildcats, 16-13. Georgia beat Kentucky by 21 points at home in regulation, while Texas needed overtime to beat the Wildcats by three in Lexington. That is a huge 18-point difference.
And for Mississippi State... Georgia beat Mississippi State by a comfortable 21 points on the road in a game where the score does not do it justice to how lopsided it really was. Texas needed overtime to beat Mississippi State by seven on the road in overtime. That is a 14-point difference when comparing those two outcomes. You see a trend here when it comes to Texas vs. SEC teams, right?
Georgia was 12 points better against Florida than Texas, 14 points better than Texas against Mississippi State and 18 points better than Texas vs. Kentucky. Does that mean Georgia is easily going to win and cover the 6.5-point spread and win by double digits? That is not out of the realm of possibility. Finebaum referring to the two overtime wins for Texas suggests Georgia should win this.
For now, let's do our part to make sure that Texas gets the most hostile road environment possible.