Paul Finebaum Puts College Football on Notice After “Eye Test” Crowns SEC Team Above the Rest

Alabama and Kalen DeBoer are proving their naysayers wrong so far this season. At 5-0, the Crimson Tide had another dominating win over Mississippi State in Week 5. And now, even DeBoer’s most ardent critic has been forced to change his tune.

“Does look like the best team. But I was on the sidelines yesterday in Starkville, and if you use the eye test, I’m telling you, Alabama looks like the most complete
and the best team that I have seen this season,” Finebaum said on October 4 on ESPN’s SportsCenter. “I mean, they were dynamic in every aspect of the game, shutting down what we all thought may be the new wonderkid of college football.”

Heading into the game, all the noise was around how the Tide would handle Kamario Taylor. Alabama had the solution ready on the first drive of the home team. Taylor fumbled the ball after being sacked by London Simmons.

On Mississippi State’s next drive, Taylor was intercepted by Dijon Lee Jr., who returned the pick for a touchdown. The Bulldogs fumbled once more in the first half, followed by a terrible interception from Taylor in the third quarter. The QB couldn’t continue in the fourth quarter due to an injury.

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While Taylor struggled, Alabama QB Keelon Russell showed why DeBoer chose him as his starting QB. Russell completed 16 of his 22 passes for 285 yards and three touchdowns. That included several mind-blowing third-down conversions, in which the QB showed his arm talent. The Tide also had a decent run game going, something that it struggled with last season.

The performance changed how Finebaum viewed DeBoer’s team. With Texas currently No. 1, followed by Georgia at No. 2, Finebaum still declared the Tide as the most complete team in the conference. That is primarily down to how Alabama has fared on both sides of the ball.

In comparison, Texas has yet to produce an above-average offensive game. The only time it looked threatening was in the 4th quarter against Ohio State. While Kirby Smart’s Georgia also has the same record, the Bulldogs’ road SEC win has come against a struggling Arkansas team. Alabama has won at Kentucky and Mississippi State on the road.

But up next, the two sides are set to go against each in Week 6. Georgia is coming to Tuscaloosa for what may turn into a redemption game for Kalen DeBoer’s team for its embarrassing loss in the SEC Championship game.

“I will say that Georgia has not beaten Bama since ’07, and I believe that was Matthew Stafford, and that was the Britney Spears game, for those who remember that call. I was going to leave it there,” Finebaum added on the show.

The Crimson Tide leads the all-time series 45–27–4 in 76 historic meetings against the Bulldogs dating back to 1895. While Alabama has dominated the matchup, winning 8 of the last 10 games, the rivalry has evolved.

When they last met in 2025, the Bulldogs soundly defeated the Crimson Tide 28–7 in the 2025 SEC Championship Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. At the same time, Kirby Smart has yet to beat a DeBoer-led team in the regular season. Last season, Alabama went to Athens and broke Georgia’s home-winning streak.

Just like Alabama, the Bulldogs are having an absolute powerhouse season, jumping out to a perfect 5–0 record. Quarterback Gunner Stockton threw for 295 passing yards and 3-touchdowns against Vanderbilt yesterday. But can he deliver in a hostile atmosphere in Tuscaloosa?

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