Georgia football's dominant stretch the last few years has meant that they are hardly ever underdogs. However, when they are underdogs, things seem to go really well for UGA.
The thing for Georgia however is that they are hardly ever underdogs. According to Chris Fallica with Fox Sports, Georgia has only been an underdog twice since Georgia won their first national championship under Kirby Smart, and in those games they are 2-0. Those wins came against Clemson in 2021 and Texas earlier this season.
Since 2021 when Georgia won its first national title under Kirby Smart, the Dawgs have been an underdog twice. UGA won both games over Clemson in 2021 and at Texas earlier this year, allowing a combined 18 points...
— Chris Fallica (@chrisfallica) December 5, 2024
Even more impressively, Georgia only gave up a combined 18 points in those two games.
So why does Georgia always seem to get it done when the country is doubting them and expecting UGA to lose? It all comes down to preparation and elite coaching.
Kirby Smart knows how to play the underdog role
Players always deserve more credit for wins and success than coaches do. They are the ones on the field making the plays, so they should always get more credit than a coach ever receives.
However, coaches have to put their teams in position to be successful, and that is what Smart does better than anyone else. His in-game coaching obviously does not change whether Georgia is an underdog or if they are the favorite. He will always be looking for the same adjustments to make based on what their opponent is doing during the game.
The difference in why Smart and Georgia are so good as underdogs all comes from their mental preparation. Smart likely more than emphasizes to his team how they are underdogs and no one believes that they can win. And the greatest example of this is when the College GameDay crew all picked Texas to beat Georgia earlier this season. We all know how that worked out, and this likely is part of the extra motivation Smart used to prepare his team and get them ready for that game.
We will see how Georgia does as the underdog against the Longhorns in the SEC Championship game, but if history tells us anything then Georgia should get ready to celebrate a conference championship later today.