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David Hale
ATLANTA — Georgia coach Kirby Smart said he spent time over the past year surveying other coaches about how best to approach the 12-team College Football Playoff.
A year ago, Ohio State did not qualify for its conference championship game, but the Buckeyes got hot and won a national title.
Meanwhile, the four conference champions who all earned first-round byes last season struggled mightily in their first playoff games, with all four top seeds losing.
16-9 win over Georgia Tech on Friday.
«The sweet spot is to win,» Smart said when asked how he hoped the next few weeks would shake out for the Bulldogs. «There is no right decision. … At the end of the day, you have to do what you feel best about. You’ll always second-guess it if you lose and you won’t if you win.»
Georgia left Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Friday knowing its regular-season loss to Alabama meant it needed help to earn an SEC title game berth. The Bulldogs needed either an Alabama loss to Auburn on Saturday or a Texas A&M loss to Texas on Friday night.
The Bulldogs didn’t have to wait long to get their answer, as the Longhorns upset the Aggies 27-17 later Friday night.
It means the fourth-ranked Bulldogs will return to Atlanta in eight days to defend their SEC title. Alabama can clinch the other spot should it win at Auburn, while a Crimson Tide loss means Ole Miss will face Georgia.
Given Ohio State’s success without playing in last season’s Big Ten title game, the thought of taking next week off could have been a preferential option for some coaches, who would prefer to see their team get healthy and avoid added injury risk from an extra game.
Not for Smart, who has won three SEC titles.
«You live your life scared of injuries, you know what you get? A very scared team,» Smart said after Friday’s game. «It’s also an opportunity to win an SEC championship. Does that matter? Does anybody care about that anymore? I grew up thinking that was the greatest game in the world. I’m just different from everybody else. … That’s what’s wrong with this whole thing now. What if you get hurt? It’s football. It’s all part of it.»
At least some of Georgia’s offensive struggles Friday were a result of injuries. Center Drew Bobo left the game early, and his absence seemed to limit the Bulldogs’ passing attack. Smart didn’t put the blame on Bobo’s departure but did note that quarterback Gunner Stockton needed to respond better.
Stockton finished 11-of-21 passing for only 70 yards — the lowest passing output for a Georgia team since 2019. Stockton’s early interception set up a Georgia Tech field goal attempt, and his downfield shots were all off the mark.
«It wasn’t great,» Smart said of the passing game. «There was some drop eight in there, there was some pressure he took on, some batted balls. He’s got to do what he’s coached to do. That’s the toughest thing. … There were a couple plays that were out there we didn’t make. He’ll watch the tape and grow from it and get better, and so will the rest of the team.»
Georgia’s players weren’t exactly lobbying for anything either, and when it came to possibility of playing in the SEC title game, the feeling was a bit more muted.
The question of whether Georgia players would prefer some time off elicited a pregnant pause from the four starters at the dais after Friday’s win before Stockton finally spoke up.
«We’ll just be ready to play,» he said, «whenever we’re [scheduled].»
It turns out that will be back in Atlanta next Saturday for the SEC title game.
