Paul Finebaum Names College Football Powerhouse He’s ‘Worried’ About originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Every season, fans and experts usually expect a few teams to dominate. For example, under Nick Saban, the Alabama Crimson Tide consistently proved to be a contender for the national championship.
The Georgia Bulldogs have taken on that role. They have participated in three of the last four College Football Playoffs. The one season they missed, they finished with a 12-0 record and were ranked No. 1 before losing in the SEC Championship Game to Alabama, which eliminated them from playoff contention. During this period, Georgia also won two national championships.
As the season approaches, it’s reasonable to assume that Georgia will once again be in the running for a playoff berth. However, on “The Paul Finebaum Show,” SEC Network analyst Paul Finebaum expressed his doubts about the Bulldogs’ chances.
“I’m a little worried about Georgia,” Finebaum said.
Finebaum didn’t explain his concerns about the Bulldogs due to the rapid-fire nature of the questioning. However, he has previously expressed his worries about Georgia’s new quarterback, Gunner Stockton.
“To me, Gunner Stockton is a lot of hype right now,” Finebaum said. “We got the bill of goods about how much the team loved him and how hard they want to play for him. I saw that in the Sugar Bowl. I saw just inexcusable mistakes across the board, and he was part of some of them.”
Stockton enters the 2025 season with limited playing time, having appeared in only five games last season. During those games, he passed for a total of 440 yards and one touchdown, with most of his action occurring in the final game and a half of the season after starter Carson Beck went down with a season-ending injury.
He played a crucial role in leading the Bulldogs to an overtime victory against the Texas Longhorns in the SEC Championship Game, winning 22-19 after executing a gutsy eight-yard run on second and eight at the 12-yard line in overtime. On the following play, Trevor Etienne rushed in for the winning touchdown from four yards out.
However, the playoffs did not go as well against Notre Dame, as Georgia lost 23-10 and struggled offensively for most of the game. Stockton finished the game 20-of-32 for 234 yards and one touchdown. A key moment came when he fumbled the ball with 33 seconds left in the first half.
He was sacked for a loss of 12 yards, and Notre Dame recovered the fumble. At the time of the fumble, the Bulldogs trailed 6-3. The Fighting Irish would then score one play later and return the second-half opening kickoff for a touchdown, extending their lead to 20-3.
As Georgia aims to return to national championship contention in 2025, Stockton will need to overcome his inexperience.
Related: Greg McElroy Reveals Biggest Question Marks for College Football Playoff Contender
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 11, 2025, where it first appeared.
