Mr. CFB No. 1: Georgia

Here are the raw, unvarnished numbers on Kirby Smart’s five years as the head football coach at Georgia:

**--He was 8-5 (4-4 SEC) in his first season (2016), a year of transition. In the four years since then:

**--Georgia is 44-8 overall, 28-5 in the SEC.

**--Played in three of the past four SEC championship games, winning in 2017, losing to Alabama (the eventual national runner-up) in 2018, and losing to LSU (the eventual national champion) in 2019.

**--One trip to the College Football Playoff (2017), beating Oklahoma in a classic semi-final and losing to Alabama in overtime in the national championship game.

**--Four straight trips to a New Year’s Six Bowl.

Pretty good, huh?

A lot of schools would kill for a four-year stretch like this but the reality is that Georgia’s fans want more. For them anything less than a national championship in 2021 will be a disappointment.

First of all, the Bulldogs have not won the national title since 1980, when freshman Herschel Walker led Georgia to a 12-0 record. That’s 41 years ago if you’re keeping score at home, and the Bulldog Nation is doing just that.

The expectations are enormous because this team checks all the boxes. Georgia has an elite quarterback in JT Daniels, the transfer from USC who took over for the last four games of the 2020 season.

The running back room is deep and talented. Zamir White will again be the featured running back but remember this name: Kendall Milton.

Receiver is a concern as George Pickens, who suffered an injury (ACL tear) in spring ball, may or may not return this season. LSU transfer Arik Gilbert, who got Georgia fans all excited, has left the team for personal reasons.

The defense, which led the SEC in allowing only 4.86 yards per play, has a couple of war daddies in NT Jordan Davis OLB Adam Anderson. Linebacker Nakobe Dean returns after leading the team in tackles.

Georgia opens the season with Clemson, another top five team, in Charlotte. After that, the schedule sets up nicely as Alabama rotates off and Arkansas rotates on. The annual game with Florida in Jacksonville on Oct. 30 will probably settle the SEC East--again.

Could this finally be the year that Georgia ends the 41-year drought? I think so.

Note: The above photo is of Georgia Coach Kirby Smart at SEC Media Days in July. The photo is credited to Gary Cosby, Jr., of the Tuscaloosa News.