Georgia Football: Kirby Smart snubbed in top coaches lists

What the experts said

With all this data why would someone put these other four coaches ahead of Smart? Well, here are the quotes from the writers themselves:

Mandel:

"3. Ed Orgeron, LSU: Coach O goes from unranked to No. 3 in the span of a year after leading his team to the greatest season in the history of the sport. LSU did it thanks in large part to Orgeron’s openness to new ideas and unconventional hires, like previously obscure pass game coordinator Joe Brady. In four seasons at LSU, Orgeron is a remarkable 12-3 against top 10 opponents. 4. Lincoln Riley, Oklahoma: Three seasons, three Big 12 titles, three CFP appearances, three top-two Heisman quarterbacks. His most recent 12-win season required adapting his offense to Jalen Hurts, a better runner but less dynamic passer than his predecessors. Riley’s critics may harp on the Sooners’ consecutive semifinal blowouts, but let’s keep things in perspective. No one below him on this list has even reached more than one semi."

Smart was pretty much left behind Orgeron and Riley due to not having a national title and no consistent trips to the College Football Playoffs. Riley benefits from a weak conference which leads to an easy path to the playoffs. Orgeron has not had consistent success either, just one championship season. Quite the double-standard.

Feldman:

"7. Kirby Smart, Georgia: His Dawgs are rolling, going 44-12 with two top 4 poll finishes in four seasons after taking over from Mark Richt. He almost led them to a national title in 2017, and he has stockpiled five-star recruits at a staggering rate. Smart would be even higher on this list if his teams hadn’t been blown out the way they have, losing twice to LSU by a combined 47 points and by Auburn by 23 points. There also was a 31-point loss to Ole Miss in his debut season, meaning that Georgia has lost by 20-plus every season under Smart. The hunch here is Georgia may be primed for a national title run with the addition of offensive coordinator Todd Monken (I’m high on that move) and Wake Forest transfer QB Jamie Newman in a year when both Alabama and LSU have to replace their star quarterbacks."

So the fact that Smart’s teams have been blown out, negate the three-straight division titles, the SEC Championship, the Rose Bowl win, and the near National Championship. The few blowouts Smart has endured keeps him out of the top three. Sigh.

The fact that any coach other than Saban and Swinney are ranked above Smart is laughable. An argument could be made for Riley, but playing in the Big XII makes that one a hard sell. Smart has to battle through the SEC year-in and year-out and comes out with better results than other guys within and outside the conference.

One-year wonders and consistent failures should not be ranked above him. Smart has made Georgia football a consistent threat to make the College Football Playoffs every year. There is no way he is anything less than the No. 3 head coach in college football. Especially considering Kirby has beaten two of the coaches put over him, Riley and Fisher.