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Nick Saban exit leaves Kirby Smart, Georgia on top of college football world
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Nick Saban exit leaves Kirby Smart, Georgia on top of college football world
ATHENS — The next time you see a Georgia football fan, you might want to ask them about the view.
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Here comes the battle of the disciples.
The next time you see a Georgia football fan, you might want to ask them about the view.
How do things look from the top of the college football world?
I've been looking at that view since Georgia won back- to-back National Championships. Going 12-0 (2023) despite the record number of injuries and still only losing by-3 to Bama and the SEC officials. Then producing the most dominant Bowl game victory since the previous year's record setting Bowl game scoring differential.
Yes, the view is different from the top!
Hold up now, let’s not put the cart before the horse and just assume this is whats going to happen. There is a very high chance, but with Texas up and coming and their large NIL and Ohio States new AD making a large foundation for NIL collective, there is a chance it’s one of them. We’ve already seen the past few weeks where we thought we had a shoe in on recruits and got burned. I still like our chances but hold your horses there DawgNation!
Georgia's fight for world domination will always be a constant battle. When you hit the top, well, the only way to go is down... Every team in the FBS is looking to score a knockout on the Dawgs. Saban is gone. Who will take his place as Georgia's biggest nemesis?
Being at the top of college football is a year to year thing. It's not a lifetime achievement award. The committee showed us how much 29 straight wins and consecutive championships meant to them in 2023. Bama hasn't been at the top since 2020. We haven't since 2022. Michigan is at the top right now.
IMO there's 3-4 coaches with potential to be top. Starting this narrative is like Caleb Downs is coming to UGA. Slow down!!
The Dawgs better get used to being "tired and beat up" late in this coming season, because they will be. There's no doubt about it this season. But Kirby knows how to get the players ready.
Will the 12-team playoff winner end up just being the last team standing? Ha. Certainly could be. And the advantage definitely goes to the teams that win their conference championship and get that first round bye.
Winning Natties is so difficult. Many things have to go your way, or, at least, not against your team. The 2023 Dawgs were close—just had few too many unlucky things happen (its top two offensive playmakers being injured for long stretches and hobbled in their lone loss, a bad/missed call at a key moment, a weird fumble/muffed play in the shadow of their own goal line, a poorly thrown long ball that should have been a TD if properly thrown, a heavily backloaded schedule, an extended slate of top CFB teams with great records, a miracle pass by Bama in the final seconds of the Auburn game, a cancelled game against a foe that beat Texas, etc., etc.). If we are lucky, 2024 will be much the same and come down to the same king of metrics as to whether the Dawgs win another Natty. Our team certainly seems to be well-positioned to be in the running for a 4th straight year!
That's fair. Between the NFL salary cap and NIL still being in its nacency, we've never seen what happens when a football team just goes full Yankees (aside from maybe A&M, who clearly had bigger issues). Looks like we're about to find out if / how well it works...
We got knocked off by a lesser BAMA team(not as good as some in the recent past). YEs there are excuses, I've certainly offered mine, but while we are hovering near the top, Michigan is on the very top as of today. Certainly has been fun being near the top, then on top, and near the top still. Beats Outback Bowls by a long shot! Go DAWGS!
I think people are underestimating Ala. People are getting caught up with the players that have left the program. Remember, the portal opens back up in the spring. How many players will now see all the openings and will want to transfer in? Some players may have always wanted to play for Ala and now can get their chance?
Do not fall for the "Georgia's" now on top of college football just because Saban retired. Looks like Ohio State has been cleaning our clock with transfer signings lately, and they are just behind us in recruiting this year. They have gobs of talent coming back next year.
Texas is a sleeping giant that will wake up in the SEC next year. Their endowment probably equals or exceeds the value of the entire UGA campus and all assets.
We are being very smug to think we are "on top of college football right now." We did not make the CFP this year. People can make all sorts of excuses, but facts are facts.
Every single year is a brutal competition to be the Top Dog in the nation. Our ace in the hole is Kirby Smart, but after all, he is another mortal walking the face of the earth every day. So let's not get too far out in front of our skis, folks.
I appreciate our Dawg social media, but as a group they need to do a little introspection. The entire debacle of Caleb Downs would not have been such a big deal if the social media had not hyped it up beyond recognition and virtually assured the Dawgnation this was a done deal.
Now they are all preaching that the Dawgs are "on the top of college football" just because Bama's coach retired. Here we go again folks. Do not fall for this red herring...
Bama is the best college football team over history. They have had their ups and downs, but always a lot more ups. They will recover from their current challenges and will always be a more than worthy opponent.
Virtual free agency has opened up college football so that rich teams can win natties by just spending a bunch of money on college football players. You see Ohio State, Texas, USC, Oregon, and FSU in various stages of this strategy. Can UGA hang with these big spenders? Is it even worth it to just "buy" championships and make high school elite players into instant multi-millionaires.
Over time, I predict that college fan bases will lose interest and passions for their new "mercenary" teams just has interest in professional sports suffered with free agency. That's my story and I'm sticking to it, folks!
I bet Michigan fans would disagree, as well as the 3 other teams that made the CFP. Kirby was on top for nearly 3 years, but there’s a different champ right now. I hope we get a shot at them in ‘24!
Go Dawgs!
You are not looking at the view from the top. You are looking at the view from the Top 5. Do not kid yourself.
I'm right there with you. College football has become much more unpredictable with the changes taking place in scheduling, NIL, transfer portal, and the CFP expanded playoffs we don't know what the top of college football will look like. The conference expansion has made it much more difficult when before the top teams really had one or two games a year where they didn't have the clearly superior talent. This is a new era and the thing that coaches have the least control over, injuries, may have the biggest effect on the championship. The coaches job has gotten a lot more difficult having to get a team up for big games and difficult opponents week after week instead of once or twice a year. Florida State is the perfect example of a team that dominated their season but loss the most important player and the one they couldn't replace at the wrong time.
OK I confess I speed read the article For Now. I’ll go back and read it again later. I also speed read through some of the comments. I was kinda surprised at Some of the bleak comments I read. Here are some of my humble views and opinions, I’m Just a fan not a coach or expert.
1) We’re not gonna win a Ntl. Championship Every year, with NIL and the TP now we MIGHT be very fortunate to win it on average of once every Three years. But I would Hope and I Believe Kirby can do better than that average.
2) Kirby has done Really, Really well in his tenure at UGA. Don’t just look at Nattys Only, though I know that’s the Biggest Prize, but look at ALL of his body of work.
3) Yes I would Normally agree that bringing up injuries is excuse making, BUT 2023 was the worse year in Kirby’s whole tenure at UGA. And these were not just across the board injuries though we had Plenty of those, these were injuries to our Top players. To our Game Changers. Now throw in brand new as Starter QB. Throw in new OC. The “weak” schedule narrative went out the door pretty quick as many of those teams were ranked when we played them, and even some that weren’t ranked were improved vs previous years. I feel we did pretty well with 12 straight wins all things considered.
4) I don’t know how high the 2024 Dawgs can climb For Sure. No one knows that. But I’m extremely excited about the prospects !! This team is shaping up nicely and Kirby ain’t done yet. April TP will offer even more opportunities.
5) Kirby Smart is a young HC. He’s STILL learning !! But he has consistently managed to acquire very good to great coaches and support staff. And he and them have been Killer in recruiting. So I honestly believe that for the next years to come with Kirby at the helm the Dawgs will either win a Natty outright or be very, very close in the hunt. As far as trying to Match Saban it’s possible No One ever will. We have to remember he got allot of his wins during the BCS era to. Now that this new Play Off format is coming in I think he wanted to leave as a winner. Y’all it’s gonna get harder and harder to win the Big Enchilada !! But I’m very confident that Kirby will have us right in the mix pretty much every year. One bad or even just so-so year doesn’t mean the Program is on a definite and permanent decline. I Believe we’ll enjoy far more Up than down !! Go Dawgs !!
I don't think I can say we are definitely The Top, but we are built to be one of a hand-full of teams that I think will consistently be in the hunt for a NC.
Anoiting UGA as being on the top looking down, shows disrespect for a bunch of really good teams.