ATHENS, GEORGIA - OCTOBER 7: Head coach Kirby Smart of the Georgia Bulldogs reacts during the first quarter against the Kentucky Wildcats at Sanford Stadium on October 7, 2023 in Athens, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
Amid all the turmoil surrounding the Michigan football program, the Deion Sanders phenomenon in Colorado, the divergent opinions surrounding Caleb Williams, the likely #1 pick in the NFL Draft, the Pac-12 championship game, and numerous other tales from this capricious college football season, one thing has remained consistent: the Georgia football program.
Since Kirby Smart took over as head coach at Georgia in 2016, he has turned the Bulldogs into the powerhouse of the mighty SEC and one of the greatest short-term dynasties in the history of college football. So understandably, Smart is probably feeling himself a little bit, and on the Pat McAfee Show on Friday afternoon, Smart boldly (and humorously) called out the naysayers of the Georgia football team and the supposedly “down” SEC.
The Georgia Bulldogs may have slipped to #2 in the most recent College Football Playoff rankings, but their 21 weeks atop the AP Poll is tied for the second-longest run at the top, equaling the number of weeks the Miami Hurricanes held onto that top spot in 2001-02. With a win in Athens on Saturday against the Ole Miss Rebels, Georgia will likely pass the Canes, and then only the 2003-05 USC Trojans would have a longer run at the top of the AP Poll than Georgia.
Though it was kind of Kirby Smart to throw the SEC as a whole the finger on national TV, the Georgia Bulldogs are unmatched at the moment. It would have had equal, if not greater, impact if he had simply stated, “Come on down to Athens and get you some Georgia football if you want it.”
