The SEC spring meetings are taking place in Destin, Florida this week. While most of the talk has focused on the recently expanded league, Georgia coach Smart Kirby was asked about the Bulldogs’ unprecedented finish to the 2023 season.
Before the College Football Playoff committee released its final rankings, no No. 1 team had fallen out of the top four in the final week of the season. That is until Georgia became that example after suffering a 3-point loss to Alabama in the SEC Championship Game.
Smart shared a no-nonsense answer about whether he was surprised when the Dawgs were left out and whether he considered UGA a top-four team.
“No, I’m not surprised at all. We had our chance on the field and that’s what you can ask for. I don’t cry about it. I think we had a good football team.”
“I don’t know. It’s not up to me to decide. I couldn’t interpret the others.”
The committee selected Michigan, Washington, Texas and the aforementioned Alabama as the four playoff teams. The Wolverines defeated Washington in the national championship, while the Dawgs pulverized Florida State in the Orange Bowl.
Although Georgia’s quest for a third consecutive national championship ended early, Smart said the Bulldogs valued their matchup against FSU in South Florida. Something that was clearly different from the other side.
“We had to practice 15 more times, I think it was. I have to play some guys. We have to play with our backup quarterback. We had the opportunity to end with a victory. We had a group of seniors, or juniors in some cases, who were drafted and walked off that field for the last time with the winning record in Georgia football history and they felt really good about themselves. I really appreciate the way they finished and set a standard for our younger players that this is the culture here. We go out and practice hard and we’re going to play our games until they’re over.
Georgia is a safe bet to make the expanded playoff run in 2024. 16 starters return from the team that went 13-1 last season, led by quarterback Carson Beck and two-time All-American safety Malaki Starks.
This year’s path will certainly be different. While the Bulldogs don’t have to be perfect to get in, winning the SEC Championship will be rewarded with a first-round bye. This would means taking care of business against two key opponents coming out of the playoffs in Alabama (Sept. 28) and Texas (Oct. 19). The conference’s new divisionless format means the top two teams in terms of seeding in the SEC will compete in Atlanta for the conference crown.
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