The Georgia Bulldogs are trying to fool everyone and the national media is falling for it

Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart has to be smiling in Athens in this week.

Smart has to be thrilled that his Bulldogs team went to Lexington this past weekend and managed to grind out a 13-12 win against the Kentucky Wildcats.

Sure, Smart is undoubtedly pissed off that his team didn't play better. And there are plenty of things for Georgia to clean up. But the result couldn't have been better for the longtime Bulldogs head coach.

As a result of Georgia's narrow win against Kentucky, the Bulldogs fell from No. 1 in the AP Top 25 Poll to No. 2.

The Texas Longhorns are the new No. 1 team in the top 25 after a blowout win against UTSA.

Smart is a master motivator. And he loves it when the national media starts doubting the Bulldogs.

But this idea that Georgia isn't the team to beat is absurd. They dropped in the polls because they won an SEC night game on the road by one point? Is this real life?

Georgia does this every year. They play a close game or two early in the season before going on a dominant run. We saw it in 2022 when Georgia fell to No. 2 after a 26-22 win against Missouri on the road. The Bulldogs finished the season 15-0.

Last season, Georgia beat a not-very-good South Carolina team by only 10 points. They also beat a not-very-good Auburn team by only seven points.

And they they still finished the regular season undefeated. And they should've been a playoff team despite their 27-24 loss to the Alabama Crimson Tide in the SEC Championship game.

There is no crack in the armor. Georgia isn't "slipping" because of a one point win against Kentucky. All the national media is doing is giving Smart some bulletin board material. They're doing him a solid by sending the message to Georgia's players that they aren't the team to beat right now. And that's when Georgia's at its best -- when they have a reason to be fired up.

Smart and the Bulldogs shouldn't be fooling anyone. They're still the team to beat. Not Texas.

But unfortunately for the rest of the SEC, the national media is giving Smart exactly what he wants. And Georgia will be better because of it.

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