Be careful what you wish for... All week long, one member of the national media after another has been quick to dismiss the Georgia Bulldogs ahead of their Week 3 road matchup at the Tennessee Volunteers. It may be en vogue for some reason to pick the Vols, but who has won the last eight meetings between them? What is Kirby Smart's record vs. Tennessee? What about Josh Heupel's?
Whether it be Rick Neuheisel of CBS Sports, Pat Forde of Sports Illustrated, or even one of their own in Aaron Murray, it is just so darn cool to rock with processed cheese in the middle part of September. Regardless of how the national media feels about this game, everyone will get a definitive answer as to who is better in this rivalry series by Saturday night. History might be repeating itself once again.
As the game creeps ever closer, expect more and more people to gravy train it and hop aboard the Rocky Top express en route to another huge embarrassing failure. Crow may be eaten by the bucket in Athens and around Atlanta in short order, but there are too many things the national media is grossly overlooking heading into this one. More importantly, Smart is seeing all of this back in Athens.
Georgia is not going 7-5, but Smart actually has the ammunition to tell his players some think it might.
Kirby Smart will once again prove to college football he is its best coach
There are three things that Smart does within the context of a game that sets him apart from his contemporaries. The first is he allows his defensive backfield to get the lay of the land first before going into lockdown mode. His position group of note usually plays better as the game goes on. The second is he conditions his great players to execute easy plays to perfection. The third is motivation.
If Georgia is not playing up to standard at halftime, he will provide a good, old-fashioned Nick Saban ass chewing to whoever needs one. Everyone who Committed to the G committed to playing to a certain standard for Coach Smart Between the Hedges and around the SEC. Do you think the robotic Josh Heupel is going to be able to motivate his guys like Smart can? He might take a nap at halftime!
Overall, Georgia is coming in completely disrespected by seemingly everyone in the college football world. Does anyone in Dawg Nation want to see Paul Finebaum do cartwheels in the street after upsetting Georgia en route to a 7-6 season and bowl game? Look. Tennessee may be much better than that mark, but the Dawgs have owned this rivalry for a reason. It is because of the man in charge.
At some point the streak may end, but Smart usually saves his best coaching for the Vols in Knoxville.