Georgia football doesn’t need to thank Alabama for anything

Recently, Georgia football has been the topic of discussion for rivals and other fanbases because it bothers them to see the Dawgs have this much success. They hate seeing Georgia be the center of attention.

However, it’s rare to see another player take it to the level that former Alabama running back Mark Ingram did.

Of course, it wasn’t unprovoked, as former Georgia players commented Monday night during a Twitter Space hosted by the NFL that featured the likes of Mecole Hardman, Sony Michel and Roquan Smith. Those comments were harmless, and while they did call out the Alabama fans, it wasn’t rude.

The following night Ingram and some other Alabama players didn’t like it, but what got said didn’t warrant the comments from Ingram.

Georgia football built its program through hard work and owed no one a thank you.

Michel said that the foundation at Georgia is built and here to stay. He commented about the 2018 national championship game and how Alabama cheated them out of one, which is his opinion. Those comments come from getting heartbroken so many times, and it’s okay for him to say that.

However, he should have known that something would come from it with that comment. Alabama players had their Twitter Space event with the NFL on Tuesday night, and the host directly asked them to respond to the previous night’s talking points.

Ingram came out hot, talking about how Alabama has 18 national championships, and when the Dawgs can win six in 12 years that only then they can speak with him.

Now those are facts, and Ingram had every right to say that, but it was what he said after is when he took it too far.

We get it. Alabama dominates college football and has for a long time, but let Georgia have its moment. The Tide has won so much that its own fans didn’t even seem excited about the national championship against Georgia because they thought it would be a given.

Now that the Tide lost, it has been silly to see the comments and hate Georgia gets from it. The Dawgs won, and it’s time for Alabama fans and former players to learn how to lose.

Ingram didn’t stop at the facts. He kept going, and it was clear he was irritated.

“The only reason they have a national championship is purely because their head coach came from ‘Bama,” Ingram said during this event. “So they should be thanking ‘Bama. So, Roll Tide…”

Jonathan Allen added, “You know what they say; even a broken clock is right twice a day.” In the background, you could hear Ingram laughing, which hit a nerve.

Did Georgia football head coach Kirby Smart learn a lot from Saban during his time at Alabama? Yes, but Smart was also with Saban at LSU and the Dolphins, so while he did come from Bama, his knowledge went further than his time in T-Town.

Why does Alabama get to credit his success because he coached there and won with Saban? I guess, but to flat out say Georgia should thank Alabama is ridiculous.

Smart won a national championship by recruiting at an elite level, developing players and hiring a coaching staff that made it happen. A lot goes into winning it all, but that is the simplest way to put it.

He didn’t win a national championship because he coached at Alabama. If that were the case, why hasn’t Lane Kiffin, Jeremy Pruitt, Jimbo Fisher, and the other countless assistant coaches who have gone on to become head coaches won one?

Is it because Smart was Saban’s favorite? Maybe, if that makes Alabama fans feel better, but Smart’s ability to coach goes further than Saban. He has worked his tail off learning things, adapting, and figuring out what works best for Georgia.

What works at Alabama doesn’t always work with Georgia.

Ingram’s comments come off as entitled and flat-out ridiculous. He is mad that Alabama got beat and just decided to throw shade.

Did Georgia players say something? Yes, but they said Georgia isn’t going anywhere because the foundation has been built. Did they say, ‘So ‘Bama fans, Georgia isn’t going anywhere?’

Yeah, that got said, but nowhere did they say they were better than Alabama.

Georgia players respect what Alabama has done because they have been at the losing end for so long. However, it’s clear that Alabama players haven’t — they are sore losers.

Everyone has an opinion and can share it, but Georgia didn’t win it all because its head coach spent time at Alabama. They won it because of the countless sacrifices on and off the field — the adversity they overcame and those skull sessions that brought them even closer as a team.

Saban and Alabama didn’t do any of that work in Athens, so why should Georgia thank them?

Smart is a great coach because he learned a lot in Tuscaloosa, but he has become an even better coach in the last six seasons as he has had to grow himself. Maybe he calls Saban all the time, but I doubt it. He is proving himself to the college football world.

Former Alabama players and fans can keep Georgia in their mouths because the Dawgs aren’t going anywhere. They are going to keep fighting and biting at Alabama’s heels.

What happens when Saban leaves Alabama? Will the success continue? Maybe, but his success isn’t the norm, so that rude awakening will be brutal for the Tide to accept eventually.

This entitled attitude that Ingram and others have is part of college football, and while they have every right to brag about their 18 championships and stuff, to say what they did shows how close-minded they are.

Let them talk, though. Georgia doesn’t care. They threw out that Bama fan comment because many Roll Tide fans give them crap about coming up short. The Dawgs didn’t come up short this time, and as long as Smart continues to be the head coach, this program will continue to be successful.

Sportsmanship is still out there, but this isn’t the Alabama way. None of the comments that Michel and the other Dawgs made should affect Ingram because they have more titles. Yet it did, and it showed just how much it bothered them.

Georgia football wins because it is in the heads of all its opponents, and the Dawgs are living rent-free. So if the Dawgs want to thank Alabama for anything, it’s for keeping Georgia the center of attention.