Shocker! Paul Finebaum picks Alabama to win national championship

Paul Finebaum is picking the Alabama Crimson Tide to win the national championship.

You didn’t expect Paul Finebaum to pick someone besides Alabama to win it all, did you?

The voice of the south was on Get Up on Thursday morning where he weighed in with his early pick to win the College Football Playoff National Championship Game this year and he picked Nick Saban’s Crimson Tide.

What a shocking revelation. I’m totally surprised the voice of the SEC is picking an SEC team to win it all. Just outright shocked and flabbergasted.

I’m laying the sarcasm on pretty thick in case you didn’t pick it up.

“I don’t want to shock you here, but I’m going with Alabama,” Finebaum said on ESPN’s Get Up. “I’m going with Alabama for a specific reason. It has been two long years since they’ve won a championship. Nick Saban probably will find his team ranked No. 3 in the preseason behind Ohio State and Clemson. They’ve got an ax to grind, and they can be very dangerous. One more thing, I think Saban has taken advantage of the offseason while other coaches are wondering what am I supposed to be doing right now?’”

Picking Alabama to win it all is like predicting sunshine in July and snow in January. It’s not going out on a limb, but it’s also not a slam dunk that they’ll win it all either.

Clemson and Ohio State are the two betting favorites to win the national championship with Alabama coming in third. Among the favorites but not the favorite is where Alabama football sits as they are eagerly awaiting when they’ll be able to report for a training camp before the 2020 season.

What’s interesting about Finebaum’s argument is he’s basically saying, it’s been two years since Alabama won and they’re due. I mean, if that was the case, Michigan, Florida, Nebraska, Texas, Oklahoma and USC would have won another title by now. But I digress, Finebaum makes some solid points about how Saban has an advantage in how he is handling an unprecedented shutdown and how he’ll get his team ready to play. I totally understand and support his point about having an ax to grind. That can fuel them in an elongated offseason, especially when some outside the state and in the media are of the belief the Alabama dynasty is dead.

It’s not dead. Don’t be ridiculous. It’ll thrive as long as Saban is on the sideline. But some of his top lieutenants have been leaving him at a higher rate than usual. Among the defections is strength and conditioning coach Scott Cochran who left for an on-field role with Georgia, who will face Alabama this September in one of the most anticipated games of the 2020 college football season.

That could have a big effect on how well Saban keeps his players at the ready and how they’ve kept their bodies in shape during this coronavirus pandemic shutdown. The biggest question facing Alabama is at quarterback where Mac Jones and freshman Bryce Young will compete for the starting job vacated by Tua Tagovailoa who left for the NFL Draft. Jones did okay when he replaced an injured Tua last year while Young was the No. 1 dual-threat quarterback recruit so he’s got the potential to be a future superstar.

But when in doubt, there’s nothing wrong with banking on Alabama to win the national title.

It’s like picking Michael Jordan’s Bulls to win it all or Tom Brady’s Patriots to win it all. If you roll with winners, more often than not you’re going to be right.

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