Paul Finebaum, Heather Dinich reveal preseason picks to win 2024 national championship
Paul Finebaum and Heather Dinich are two of ESPN’s premier college football personalities, and they’re back for another season covering all the topics throughout the 2024 season. As we get ever closer to Week 0, the two analysts went public with their preseason picks to hoist the national title.
During Wednesday’s broadcast of “Get Up,” Mike Greenberg pressed the pair on their preseason picks for the national title. Finebaum, renowned for his coverage of the SEC, is not deviating out of the southeast.
He went with Georgia to win its 3rd national title of the Kirby Smart era, though he had a caveat with one other program that makes him a bit “leery” of riding with the Bulldogs.
“I like Georgia. I’m not as sold on Georgia as I was last year, and the reason why I’m a little bit leery is Ohio State may have the best roster as we continue to say,” said Finebaum. “But Georgia is still the pick to win it all.”
Dinich echoed that pick, saying it’s a simple call for her with an outright prediction:
“Of course, how can I pick against Georgia given this specific question?” quizzed Dinich.
Meanwhile, Greenberg offered up his own prediction, providing a dissenting voice by picking Ohio State to win its first title under Ryan Day.
“I’m going with Ohio State. Paul told me it cost $20 million for their players this year, they’re going to get their money’s worth in Columbus,” explained Greenberg.
Who will win the national championship this season? @finebaum: Georgia@CFBHeather: Georgia@Espngreeny: Ohio State pic.twitter.com/nubh6XlGVq
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) August 14, 2024
Examining the odds
The group of analysts is not exactly splitting atoms with any of their picks. ESPN Bet still has the Bulldogs as the preseason favorite to win it all, coming in at +300. Fans can use SDS’s apps to bet on sports to take part in the action.
If it’s not Georgia winning the championship, it would be Ohio State with the 2nd-best odds at +325. The two sides faced off in a thrilling Peach Bowl a few years ago, though that game came in the semifinals. This time around, a matchup in the CFP National Championship after a 12-team tournament would be a sight to behold.
Next in line on the national championship odds are Oregon (+750) and Texas (+850), two teams likely to push Ohio State and Georgia in the Big Ten and SEC, respectively. We’ll see if anyone at the top slips and opens the door, but the favorites are clear-cut heading toward the start of the season.
I wish Pawl, Pawwwll, Pawwwwwlll would do us a favor and pick BucknutU like a good little boy, after all he never picks the team that actually wins it all…the curse of the finebumm
The curse of Finebaum is watching him or listening to him; the only entertaining aspect of his show was lunatic, backwoods Alabamastan fans calling in, what’s that say about Finebaum’s talent????
I choose to not be cursed
The best was the Auburn fan Tammy! She would lose her mind talking ish about Bama and Saban! It was hysterical!
I remember Auburn Tammy, what a frgn lunatic! I heard that she was a relative of our buddy ronmexico, I think she was his cousin/wife or something like that…lol
Thinking back Hump, I seem to recall her dropping that name a couple of times!
“I remember Auburn Tammy, what a frgn lunatic! I heard that she was a relative of our buddy ronmexico,”
She died in a tragic car accident, retard. You have the IQ of dog $hit.
“The best was the Auburn fan Tammy! She would lose her mind talking ish about Bama and Saban! It was hysterical!”
She’s dead you ignorant piece of $hit.
So did Devin, Chandler and Laken but that hasn’t stopped you from being an ignorant POS
Hey Hump, hope all is well, is Paul even relevant now that Saban retired and he has no jock to sniff? Perhaps he’s migrating towards Kirby and what his jock has to offer but either way this dude has always been a clown! We’re getting close to kickoff my friend!
All as well as can be, prez. Hope all is well with you and yours as well. I was afraid that would happen once the goat hung it up, Paul switching daddies and coattail riding on Kirby.
Dmmmmm right, 2.5 weeks to FOOTBALL season, my friend. Last chance to talk meaningless smack for soon we will unleash or be subjected to meaningful smack. Stay well mi compadre.
“All as well as can be, prez. ”
Yeah, you serving time for child molestation has it’s ups and downs don’t it, retard.
UGA has the better O-Line, TE group, defensive front and QB. It’s hard to bet against the team that is better on the line of scrimmage AND has the better QB.
Side notes:
I like that UGA isn’t dependent on a single play maker, i.e. Marvin Harrison. We have quality WR’s, TE’s and RB’s, the ability to spread the ball around and depth.
Will anybody have a better LB group than UGA?
UGA secondary will be elite with at least one All-American.
Beck could very possibly win the Heisman, Etienne could easily go over 1,500 combined yards. Bell or Lovett could easily be All Conference. Delp and/or Yurosek could easily be All-Conference and All-American. UGA could easily produce an Outland Trophy winner, Butkus award winner, Thorpe award winner etc.. But, the best thing one can say about this team – the 2024 UGA team could break the 2022 UGA’s NFL Draft record.
Bonus Tip:
Always pick the OCD, overachieving, Napolean type over the guy that aspires to look like Eddie Munster. Do you want to the follow a proven Field General or an infomercial?
I’ll take a healthy Lawson and Jihad Campbell over any ILB duo in the country.
3,2,1 queue the hillbilly buutt sniffers showing up and babbling about something …
TDOW, you know the hillbilly’s well i see! LOL
It’s just a matter of time!
Don’t talk about luvda like that but yeah….congrats on winning it this year
Nobody in Dawgnation is claiming UGA has won anything in 2024. We’re just talking preseason and what the roster looks like on paper vs what another team’s roster looks like on paper.
Injuries, suspensions, outside distractions, culture changes from one year’s team to the next season’s team etc.. Add in how hard it will be to win it all starting in 2024; new, elite programs in the conference, the conference championship, multiple playoff games.
Winning it all in 2024 and beyond will be a monumental task; there will be seasons when bad luck and misfortune trip up even the best team and that team doesn’t win it all. Not like in years past where some old, fat, cheating coach can hook n’ crook and back-door his way into a national championship.
I don’t want to be the obnoxious fan that is bloviating about be being #1 after beating one rival while they were dealing with injuries only to get curb stomped by next rival. Then after that dirt stomping start flapping my gums about being the best 1-loss team and how we’ll beat the rival that just curb stomped us in a re-match only to get boat-raced by a lower-level conference team, who wants to be that guy?
I hear South Carolina just scored again
You did for real?
imo there is nothing worse than being preseason #1, and the media darling picked to win it all before the season even starts.
Paul Finebaum is outdated. I ďo not know Heather Dinich’s expertise is so as to offer an opinion. There are lots of òther real Experts with recognized expertise.
OS might have bought a more talented roster, but Ryan Day is no Kirby Smart.
Georgia will field a better team, and Kirby will out coach Day.