ESPN’s Paul Finebaum ranks his top four teams after Week 1
ESPN college football analyst Paul Finebaum has ranked his top four teams after most of the Week 1 action.
Week 1 featured some impressive performance and some close calls. The SEC looked particularly strong. Florida upset No. 8 Utah in a 29-26 win. The conference has not lost yet (with the Florida State-LSU game left). That will change next week as conference play begins for the SEC.
The preseason polls generally ranked Georgia, Ohio State, and Alabama as the top three teams in the country. Does Paul Finebaum agree with this?
Here’s how Finebaum ranks the top four college football teams:
No. 4 Clemson Tigers
Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney returns a lot of talent for the 2022 college football season. Ken Ruinard-USA TODAY Sports
Paul Finebaum considers Clemson to the fourth-best team in the country even though the Tigers have not played yet. Clemson opens the season against Georgia Tech in Atlanta on Sept. 5.
No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes
Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports
Ohio State did not impress Paul Finebaum too much in Week 1, but the Buckeyes did get a win 21-10 at home over a good Notre Dame team.
The Buckeyes don’t face much of the challenge until they host the Wisconsin Badgers on Sept. 24.
No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs
John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
Finebaum discredits Georgia’s 49-3 win over the Oregon Ducks because Oregon is in the Pac-12. The Pac-12 has had a rough start to the season. Finebaum thinks Georgia could be ranked as the No. 1 team.
At this point in the season, we think Georgia deserves to be ranked No. 1 since the Bulldogs won the national championship last season and dominated a legitimate opponent.
No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide
Gary Cosby Jr.-USA TODAY Sports
The Crimson Tide dominated Utah State in a 55-0 win at home. Nick Saban and Alabama play in a rare nonconference road game next week at Texas. The Longhorns have the talent to give the Crimson Tide some trouble, but it would be surprising if they really pushed Alabama.
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