Georgia Football's Kirby Smart Says Exactly What’s Going to Happen vs. Alabama

Smart said games like Saturday night’s showdown with the Tide is the entire point of playing in the SEC.

Georgia football coach Kirby Smart against Ole Miss. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

TUSCALOOSA - Georgia football coach Kirby Smart has had well-documented struggles against the Alabama Crimson Tide.

He’s not shying away from that heading into another showdown - the eighth this decade - between the Dawgs and Tide.

“It's still a huge game. You can make a case that you're playing for SEC positioning,” Smart said. “You’re playing for playoff positioning. You're playing to impress the people who make the decisions of who goes in the playoff because you're playing on the road against a really good football team.”

The Southeastern Conference champion is no longer determined by matching up the winners of divisions. Now it is determined by the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the conference. And Georgia and Alabama know about being No. 1 in the SEC. The two programs are the only programs to win the SEC this decade.

“At the end of the day, we're playing for each other,” Smart said earlier this week. “Our kids want to go out there and put the best foot they can put forward, and that's what they're going do.And it's entertainment. People get to watch it, and sun's going to come up the next day no matter what, and we're gonna have a really tough game the next (week). Both teams are. So, you better play your best and recover quickly.”

Alabama faces one of its rivals - Tennessee - next weekend in the classic SEC showdown known as the Third Saturday in October. Georgia will host Auburn for the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry.

Smart said games like Saturday night’s showdown with the Tide is the entire point of playing in the SEC.

“It's what you do it for. You want to see where you're at. You work all year to get these opportunities, and you go into a game like this where you know the talent level is just as good as your team. And your players are going to have to play four quarters,” Smart said.

Georgia has not had to do that so far this season. Alabama has only had to do that once (Florida State). The Dawgs will face one of the most-difficult tests in terms of playing on the road in the nation. Alabama’s Bryant-Denny Stadium has not allowed for a lot of road wins over the last 20 years.

“They've got an incredible environment there. Luckily, I got to experience it for a lot of years on the other side and had a lot of wins in that stadium,” Smart said of his time as an assistant coach under Nick Saban. “I know the passion and energy and the juice that flows through it. And then I've been there a couple times and seen it from the other side. It's a tough environment to play in. It's what you do college football for, and we got a lot of new players that this is probably gonna be their first time to get to play in an environment like this. So I'm excited for them.”