Three cheers for sweet revenge! The Georgia Bulldogs did it! They are your back-to-back SEC Champions. Kirby Smart has won his fourth conference title since taking over his alma mater. This is the first time he has repeated in Atlanta. The absolute best part is he finally silenced his last holdovers of critics. Georgia thoroughly dominated the Alabama Crimson Tide to win the SEC, 28-7.
Smart was asked by Holly Rowe after the game what he thought about redemption, and offered this.
“It’s not about redemption, they’ve got a great program, great head coach. It’s about our team tonight. These guys have been doubted and since that last game - our team was really physical tonight. Played an excellent game. Really proud of them and proud for these Georgia fans.”
This is a team that was doubted earlier in the season, but have answered the bell every game since playing Alabama the first time. Smart played a huge part in this, as he fully believed in his guys and his coaches, when some outside of Butts-Mehre did not. Georgia will be among the favorites to possibly win the College Football Playoff. For now, Georgia can rest and recover before its quarterfinals game.
Let's unpack what this win means for Georgia moving forward, as well as Alabama's playoff chances.
Kirby Smart gets his revenge over Alabama in the most spectacular way
With its 12th win on the year, Georgia not only gets a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff, but will almost certainly be a top-two seed. The No. 1 seed will go to the Big Ten champion between the No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes and the No. 2 Indiana Hoosiers. Big 12 champion The Texas Tech Red Raiders will get a first-round bye as either the No. 3 or No. 4 seed, depending on the Big Ten title bout.
One would expect that Georgia's next game will be in the Sugar Bowl as the No. 2 seed, where the Bulldogs will take on the winner of the No. 7 vs. No. 10 game. We can assume that the Texas A&M Aggies will be the host in that game, while their opponent remains very much up for debate. It could be Alabama, but there is a non-zero chance that Alabama might fall out of the playoff field entirely...
Overall, this is one of the best wins Georgia has had in years, arguably the best since beating the TCU Horned Frogs at SoFi Stadium to win the 2022-23 College Football Playoff. This win was cathartic for everyone involved with the Georgia football program. They finally beat Alabama, not only below The Mason-Dixon Line, but in the SEC Championship. This is a game that has been a horror show before.
Ultimately, Smart has his team playing at an incredibly elite level right now. The defense is finally playing up to its lofty standard. The offense is multi-faceted in attack, and especially dangerous in the red zone. Georgia can also win with special teams, as illustrated by the blocked punt that set up the first touchdown on the night. It was the ultimate tone-setter. Georgia can finally exhale in Atlanta now.
For Smart's Bulldogs to have Alabama on the brink of playoff elimination makes this so much better.