Georgia football coach Kirby Smart was addressing the media following last Friday’s 16-9 topping of Georgia Tech when he was asked whether it was better for his Bulldogs to play in this Saturday’s Southeastern Conference championship game or go straight into the College Football Playoff given the risk of injury.
The Bulldogs needed either Texas A&M to lose to Texas last Friday night or for Alabama to succumb to Auburn on Saturday night to reach the SEC title game, and they didn’t have to wait long as the Longhorns defeated the Aggies.
“If you’re worried about injury risk, we won’t practice next week,” Smart said. “You live your life scared of injuries, and you know what you get? A very scared team. This is also an opportunity to win an SEC championship. Does that matter? Does anybody care about that anymore? I grew up thinking that was the greatest game in the world.
“We lost guys today to injury. We’re going to lose guys in practice to injury, but that’s next man up. That’s what is wrong with this whole thing now. ‘What if you get hurt?’ It’s football. It’s part of it.”
With college football in its second season of employing a 12-team playoff — it’s expected to grow to 16 teams sooner than later — the SEC championship contest is fighting an erosion in relevance.