The No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs open the 2021 season on Saturday night against No. 3 Clemson in Charlotte.

It’s the game of the week and many think it could be a College Football Playoff preview. But, has the game already lost some of its luster?

SEC Network host Paul Finebaum joined “McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning” on WJOX to discuss the game. He said there are a couple of things that have hurt the big Week 1 matchup:

“Cole, I think a couple of things have hurt this game,” Finebaum said. “I know this sounds trite because we can make fun of rankings, but the fact is in one poll Clemson is 3 and in another I think they’re 2. Georgia is 5. That is a great game, but I think when we first saw this game on the docket, maybe we thought of it more in terms of a 1 vs. 2 or a 1 vs. 3 game. That didn’t materialize.

“I think the injuries to Georgia have affected the game and I think, overall, you’re right. What’s really interesting to me is how many people are making the case — incorrectly, I might add — for Clemson to be able to lose as opposed to Georgia. I don’t think Clemson better risk losing this game and be absolutely assured they’ll get back in the Playoff. Now if Georgia loses and then runs the table, that’s not even open for discussion — they’ll get it because that means they’ll have beaten either Alabama, LSU or Texas A&M, which would be in commanding position in the SEC West.”

Even with those caveats, the matchup in Charlotte will likely be the best in Week 1. We’ll see which elite squad starts the year with a victory.