Since the middle of November 2020 the Georgia Bulldogs have posted a win-loss record of 49-2. Kirby Smart has led Georgia to three consecutive undefeated regular seasons and two national championships in that span.
Against Alabama in that same span? Georgia is 1-2, with both of their losses coming to Alabama in the SEC Championship.
The two most dominant college football programs of the last two decades face off again less than two weeks from now, but instead of hyping the epic bout Kirby Smart has been (predictably) going out of his way to act like Alabama is just another game.
Not once, but twice this week, Kirby acted as if he was completely disinterested in Alabama. First, immediately following the Kentucky game this past weekend. And second, on the SEC media availability call this week.
Right after 13-12 victory over Kentucky, Smart was asked about the Alabama game earlier that day, and his response was quite hilarious:
"No, I mean, I watched a few games. I don't think I even saw that game. That's the last thing on my mind right now."
Sure, Kirby. Alabama, the only team to beat you in the last 51 games, and the very next team you play is the " last thing " on your mind. Okay. Right.
And then again on Wednesday, he was asked about how he and Georgia had been preparing for Alabama already and his thoughts on true freshman wide receiver phenom Ryan Williams. His response again was objectively hilarious. Smart acted as if they hadn't even begun working on Alabama just yet:
"Uh, we haven't started on Alabama yet. We're working on us right now. Our typical protocol is to work on all the opponents we have further out. And then as the week goes we begin on them. So we actually worked on other opponents [Tuesday], we're going to work on some opponents coming up [Wednesday], and we'll begin our Alabama work [Thursday]."
What Smart said might be technically true in terms of specific game plan install for the players, as the protocol he described is typical for Georgia and Kirby's stringent preparation processes. However, it's utterly laughable to suggest that Kirby and his staff haven't been preparing for this game since the spring.
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Georgia has won 21 straight games under Kirby Smart when they have had more than a full week to prepare (dating back to 2018). When asked about what goes into that process and why Georgia has been so good in those spots Smart gave all the credit to his players over the years. And while the players are certainly a huge contributing factor, Smart's preparation many times months in advance in combination with a few extra days of install very likely lead to those successes.
While Smart might find it funny to suggest he hasn't been preparing all year long for Alabama, Georgia fans should rest easy in knowing the Bulldogs coaches have most definitely been all-in on winning this specific week more than any other for a long time now.
Georgia will travel to Alabama to play the Crimson Tide on Saturday, September 28th on Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa. We'll get to see all the hard work (from far prior to just this week and next) pay off here very soon.
Be looking for more Georgia Bulldogs Football coverage here at A to Z Sports all year long! Follow me (@FF_TravisM) and A to Z Sports (@AtoZSportsNFL) on X for all the latest football news!
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