Much has been made about Georgia’s national championship chances this season, and whether the Bulldogs are set to accomplish something the program hasn’t done since 1980.

The early barometer is the season opener against Clemson, which is 3.5-point favorite, according to Draft Kings, for the game in Charlotte. Some narratives have been established that this is a championship-or-bust type season for Georgia, but ESPN’s Paul Finebaum isn’t quite in that camp.

Finebaum does believe in Georgia this year, and said this could be the year.

“I think it could be,” Finebaum said on ESPN’s “SportsCenter” recently whether this is the year for Georgia, and he is fairly optimistic, per 247Sports. “… I think Georgia is primed. I think this is the best Georgia team that Kirby Smart has had. He had a really good one his second year. Let’s say they get past Clemson — and I would predict that they’re going to. They have a couple of other games that matter. They have Florida, of course, and then they have the likely Alabama game. I think they can get to the playoff, even by losing to Clemson. But of course, that’s not going to happen.”