The Georgia Bulldogs rode an SEC championship into the College Football Playoff, and they have the talent to be the last team standing.
With their win in the SEC Championship Game, the Georgia Bulldogs punched their ticket to the College Football Playoff. The Bulldogs had an incredible season under second-year head coach Kirby Smart, who came to Georgia after being the defensive coordinator at Alabama. Smart is a former Bulldogs player and has his former school in a position to be the champions of college football come Jan. 8.
The road to the College Football Playoff was not an easy one for the Bulldogs, who had to knock off a red-hot Auburn team in the SEC title game to get here. Georgia rolled through the SEC East Division, proving to be the class of the division early on. Florida had won the previous two East title, but in 2017, the Bulldogs’ 7-1 conference record proved to be the best mark on that side of the conference.
Coaching Advantage
When it comes to college football coaches, there are fewer better defensive minds than that of Kirby Smart. Smart led one of the better defenses in the country during his time at Alabama, as his defenses were ranked in the top-5 in nearly every season he served as the defensive coordinator. He has the ability to shut a team down on the offensive side of the ball, and he has more than enough experience to make this an advantage for his Bulldogs during the College Football Playoff.
His first matchup is against one of the better quarterbacks college football has seen in recent memory, as Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield is a multiple-Heisman finalist. In 2017, Mayfield finally took home the Trophy and would like for nothing more than to continue his magical campaign. The problem with that is he will be going up against a Bulldogs team that can flat-out take the offense out of the game, and Georgia has had more than enough time to scheme for the Sooners.
Getting past the Sooners will be key, as Smart could have an advantage in the championship game no matter who the Bulldogs play. Two years ago, Smart led the Crimson Tide defense to a win over the Dabo Swinney coached Clemson Tigers in the National Championship Game, though the Tide defense was less than perfect. If the Bulldogs have to take on the Tide, he will have a distinct advantage over any other coach who takes on Nick Saban in a championship game, as he served as a member of his staff for so many years.
Georgia has to be happy with the Kirby Smart hire no matter who they play in the College Football Playoff, and Oklahoma has yet to face a defense as strong as the one they will face against the Bulldogs. Smart is going to have a solid game plan for Mayfield, and if the Bulldogs can get past the Sooners in the semifinal, the program has to be pretty confident in what Smart can do against the Tigers or the Tide.