Ryan Day has crossed seas and mountains to get the Buckeyes a Natty after a decade-long wait. The path was anything but smooth, given that Day had quite a bitter blow early in the season. But nothing could get under his skin as much as the gusty 13-10 loss against Michigan. But after that, Day had a fiery redemption journey, clinching the national title through a nail-biter game on January 20. It was more than a win. It was Day making a statement to all his critics, after that 5-4 record against the Wolverines. But the Buckeyes’ celebration phase was short-lived. Day faced a brutal roster exodus in the portal. But again, through a good recruiting class, Day looks to defend his crown. However, when it comes to national prominence, it’s Kirby Smart who wears it. Silent smirk!
The college football season is less than 100 days away as teams already start their grind to smash it in 2025. While teams focus on clinching another championship run, and analysts and experts start playing the logical guess game, there is no harm in studying the past a bit. When we look at the last five years, there are a few teams that run the table. Alabama, Georgia, and OSU are among the frontrunners. But yes, it’s not the reigning champion who gets the most votes in the polls.
ESPN created a poll to survey which teams had the most dominant CFP run in the last five years, and it turns out that 61 percent of a whopping 32k voters keep the Bulldogs ahead of the other competitors, notably ahead of the 2-14 college football champion Ohio State. That’s huge.
But there comes a twist. ESPN contradicts the voting poll in a massive 2025 prediction for Kirby Smart and his squad. The Dawgs are listed as a team that is expected to miss this year’s playoffs. Yes, you heard it right. “For the better part of three seasons, the Bulldogs seemed invincible. Only an injury-plagued one-score loss to Alabama in the 2023 SEC title game might have prevented Georgia from winning three straight national championships. And yet, by the end of 2024, it was clear some of the shine was off the once-dominant program,” a recent ESPN report said.
Well, the reason behind their projected doomed fate is obvious. Carson Beck’s frequent turnovers and Mike Bobo’s faulty play calling made a mess out of the Dawgs’ already vulnerable offense. On top, even after Beck left and Georgia officially turned to Gunner Stockton to take the reins, Paul Finebaum remains highly unimpressed with his growth and potential. Stockton couldn’t stop Notre Dame during the Sugar Bowl, taking a sharp 23-10 blow to the gut.
Josh Pate also snubbed Stockton from his top 10 SEC QBs list, saying Gunner doesn’t possess any extraordinary skill or talent to get listed among the elite QBs of the conference for this year, at least. Big sloppy point for the Bulldogs. However, Kirby Smart remains firm in his vision, no matter what.
Kirby Smart seems poised against Paul Finebaum’s shattering prediction
ESPN’s Paul Finebaum doesn’t seem to be confident in the Georgia Bulldogs’ potential quarterback situation for 2025. He said he was heavily underwhelmed by the QB room coach Smart has. The Georgia head coach, on the other hand, known to be the players’ coach, didn’t miss taking the side of his player.
He confronted Paul, displaying his sentiment against Gunner Stockton’s comments. He’s been grateful to Finebaum for that opinion, as he said during the SEC Network on Tuesday. “I appreciate all your questioning of it because it just gives me a little extra motivation,” said Smart. “I’m excited. Gunner [Stockton] got the message,” Smart added. “You did your job.”
It was smart, direct, yet polite, referring to his resilience through the doubts. His words left Paul apologizing for his comments, a rare event of its own. While their exchanges were certainly lighthearted, they carry a message: Kirby Smart is ready to roar, taking all the notes as fuel.
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