As the college football world turns its eyes to Tuscaloosa for Saturday's massive SEC showdown, one of the sport's most outspoken voices is turning up the heat on Georgia's head coach. Paul Finebaum, the longtime SEC analyst, didn't mince words when discussing the Bulldogs' recent struggles against Alabama, declaring that the program—and its coach—have a serious mental hurdle to clear.
Appearing on ESPN's Get Up, Finebaum framed the upcoming game as a defining moment for Kirby Smart, pointing to a glaring stat: Smart has never beaten Alabama in the regular season. He's 0-3 in those meetings, a fact that Finebaum believes looms large over the program.
“Georgia has an Alabama problem, and so does Kirby Smart,” Finebaum said, delivering the kind of blunt assessment that has made him a must-watch during college football season.
The history between Smart and the Crimson Tide runs deep. From 2008 to 2015, Smart served as Alabama's defensive coordinator under Nick Saban, and during that stretch, the Tide beat Georgia three times, including a painful loss in the 2012 SEC Championship Game.
When Smart took the Georgia job in 2016, the rivalry took on a new chapter—one that has been anything but kind to the Bulldogs. His first meeting against his former boss came in the iconic 2017-18 national title game, where Alabama stunned Georgia with a backup quarterback named Tua Tagovailoa, who orchestrated a comeback in overtime. That loss was the first of four straight defeats to the Tide, spanning the 2018 SEC Championship, a 2020 regular-season matchup, and the 2021 SEC title game.
Smart finally broke through in the 2021-22 national championship, leading Georgia to a decisive victory over Alabama and securing the program's first title since 1980. But that triumph didn't end the rivalry's sting. Alabama answered back two years later in the SEC Championship, and then won back-to-back regular-season meetings in 2024 and 2025.
Georgia did get a measure of revenge last season, crushing Alabama 28-7 in the SEC Championship Game. Both teams advanced to the College Football Playoff, only to bow out in the semifinals, leaving unfinished business for both programs.
Now, as the Bulldogs prepare to face the Tide once again, the question is whether Smart can secure his first-ever back-to-back wins over Alabama. Finebaum's comments suggest that the pressure is squarely on Georgia, and that Saturday's game could be a turning point—or another chapter in a frustrating saga.
Adding to the drama, the game itself has been under a weather watch, with storm concerns that have shifted the forecast. While conditions may have improved, the intensity of this rivalry remains unaffected. For Smart, the chance to quiet his critics and finally solve his Alabama problem starts with a win in a place where he hasn't had much success—on the road in Tuscaloosa.
With so much on the line, Finebaum's warning is clear: Georgia's championship hopes may hinge on whether they can conquer the one team that has haunted them for years. Saturday's kickoff can't come soon enough.
