Home field advantage is a massive thing in college football. There’s a reason Vegas adjusts their spreads in favor of the home team, because being able to play in front of your home crowd does give every team an advantage.
And Georgia football is known for creating one of the best environments and home field advantages in all of college football.
With the big game against Tennessee coming up this weekend, many fans took to social media and were pleading their case for Georgia to make it a Blackout game. This would mean that the team would wear their black jerseys and every Georgia fan in the stands would be wearing black as well.
This has been done in the past and it regularly creates one of the best environments in Sanford Stadium. And with No. 7 Tennessee coming to town and Georgia not having played a home game in over a month, it does make sense that fans would want to do this.
However, it’s not just the fans that are pushing for a blackout against Tennessee. Some of Georgia’s players are getting behind the idea as well. Tate Ratledge, Smael Mondon, Cash Jones and Lawson Luckie were all seen pushing the idea as well in the post below.
Don’t listen to us. Listen to your players.
— UGA Spike Squad (@UGASPIKESQUAD) November 13, 2024
BLACKOUT SANFORD THIS SATURDAY pic.twitter.com/dokzxKFnFx
So while it’s clear that both Georgia fans and players want a blackout, it appears Kirby Smart may not be fully behind this idea.
”I just think that’s Hokey Pokey. I mean, it’s great for recruiting. We may do it sometime. I’m not anti-doing it.” Smart shared. “But that shouldn’t do anything for your atmosphere. Some of the best places I’ve played in great atmosphere, they never change their uniforms. They’re traditionalists. And if it takes changing the uniform to get people fired up, then I’m at the wrong place.”
Kirby Smart questions the purpose of the Blackout
Smart does make a good point that what the team or fans are wearing shouldn’t impact the atmosphere the fans create. And while that does make sense, there’s no denying that themes like the Blackout do impact and improve the atmosphere.
That’s not just the case at Georgia, it happens everywhere. Take Penn State for example that does a Whiteout once every season. That one game is potentially the best atmosphere college football sees each season. Penn State has a great atmosphere every home game, but when they have their annual Whiteout game the atmosphere gets taken to the next level.
So while Smart feels the atmosphere in Sanford Stadium should be the same no matter who the opponent is or what the team and fans are wearing, that unfortunately is not how it works. So if Smart wants the best atmosphere possible against Tennessee with ESPN’s College GameDay in town, he should get fully behind the Blackout like the fans and his players are.