STARKVILLE, Miss. — They clearly have bigger things in mind, but for the fifth time since Kirby Smart took over as football coach at his alma mater, the Georgia Bulldogs are champions of the Southeastern Conference’s East Division.
Smart’s sixth season leading the Bulldogs produced the program’s first national title in four decades. In his seventh season, Georgia is taking steps toward a repeat, still undefeated and No. 1 in the rankings with less than a month remaining before the College Football Playoff selection committee reveals the chosen four.
It seems Stetson Bennett and Co. just keep rolling along.
The veteran quarterback threw for three touchdown passes as Georgia won 45-19 Saturday night at Mississippi State, securing a spot in the SEC championship game on Dec. 3 in Atlanta. Georgia (10-0, 7-0) will face SEC West representative LSU (8-2, 6-1), which clinched its spot Saturday with a 13-10 win at Arkansas and Alabama’s 30-24 victory at Ole Miss.
“I’m really proud of our team. When you go on the road in the SEC in an environment like this at night, there’s tremendous adversity, and our guys responded again and again,” Smart said. “Our guys kept responding and competing.”