Georgia football coach Kirby Smart has explained for months that the Southeastern Conference’s new nine-game league schedule will be nothing new for his program.
Last season’s Bulldogs played 10 games against conference foes, defeating Alabama in the SEC championship contest before losing to Ole Miss in the Sugar Bowl, which was a national quarterfinal in the 12-team College Football Playoff. Both of those games were rematches of regular-season contests.
This season’s expected grind for the Bulldogs will include a visit from Oklahoma, trips to Alabama and Ole Miss, and the first Georgia-Florida showdown ever to be held in Atlanta, and the long road ahead began Wednesday with the first day of preseason camp.
“Everybody has their philosophy with what they go with,” Smart said during a news conference. “Historically, I’ve been a part of some really good SEC championships and national championships, and I’m not just talking about at Georgia. I’m talking about everywhere I’ve coached. I’ve been really fortunate to coach at really good programs — LSU, Florida State, Alabama, Georgia.
“The common denominator of those programs is you play really good teams year in and year out, whether it’s in conference or out of conference. You want to have a really exciting schedule for the fans. They enjoy the excitement of playing those schedules, and that versus the balance of risk of injury and wear and tear probably lies somewhere in the middle.”