Kirby Smart and Curt Cignetti are quickly becoming college football's biggest rivalry among two head coaches. It originally started with the media crowing these two as the top coaches in college football, but then they started lobbing shots at each other.
Up to this point neither coach has specifically called out the other by name, but it's been pretty clear they have been targeting each other. On Wednesday it was Kirby Smart's turn to take aim as he discussed why playing a difficult schedule has helped Georgia find all the success they have over the last 10 years.
Cignetti and Indiana recently proved that they think playing a tough schedule is irrelevant and will do whatever it takes to make it easier, so it's clear that Smart is responding to the Hoosiers and the bold strategy Cignetti is unleashing.
"Historically, I've been a part of some really good SEC Championship, National Championship programs, and the common denominator of those programs is you play really good teams, year in and year out."
— The Bulldawg Report (@ReportBulldawg) August 5, 2026
- Kirby Smart on Georgia's approach to OOC scheduling pic.twitter.com/gCLqajK846
Kirby Smart takes aim at Curt Cignetti for Indiana's future non-conference schedules
Georgia has won four SEC titles and two national championships during Smart's 10-year run with the program. Throughout those 10 years Georgia has always played a difficult schedule which included difficult non-conference opponents every year.
That concept is foreign to Cignetti and Indiana because they haven't played one non-conference Power Four team since he became their head coach. And after canceling a home-and-home series with Notre Dame just this week the Hoosiers have zero Power Four non-conference opponents scheduled through the 2032 season.
This decision received a lot of backlash from college football fans and media because they want to see the best teams play other really good teams. Cignetti however doesn't care about that, and it seems like Smart doesn't agree with his decision.
From Cignetti's perspective it makes a little sense to schedule easy non-conference slates considering they just won a national title by doing that last year, but so far Smart's strategy at Georgia clearly reigns supreme.
Georgia's scheduling practice has proven to be the better than Indiana's weak slates
At this point Cignetti is just a one-hit wonder. No one is saying he's a bad coach, but he needs to win more than one national championship before anyone can claim he does anything better than Smart.
Smart has always scheduled difficult games at Georgia, and that has led to four conference titles and two national championships. Maybe Cignetti will match that total when he hits 10 years with Indiana, but until he does he still has a lot to prove before he surpasses Smart.
But even if easy non-conference schedules gives teams a better chance to win a national championship it still isn't the right thing to do. A large amount of easy games is the last thing any fan wants, and considering how weak the bottom of the Big Ten is the Hoosiers get plenty of easy games each year already.
So why not schedule a team like Notre Dame? Why not strike a deal with a top SEC school for an exciting new home-and-home series? The entire SEC is doing it and most of their Big Ten counterparts are as well, so maybe Cignetti should follow Smart's lead and do what's right for the sport.
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