Hayes: 3-peat? Why not? Nobody is slowing down Kirby Smart's hungry Dawgs
He was sitting there with a panoramic view of it all, a guest on the ESPN broadcast to offer up analysis of what was unfolding in front of his eyes.
He must have wanted to puke.
There was Georgia, an identical twin of Alabama a decade ago, rushing before the eyes of Tide coach Nick Saban.
Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.
If this is what happens after Georgia loses 29 players to the NFL Draft and transfer portal from the 2021 national champions, what happens when the Dawgs lose half that?
We’re about to find out next year.
That’s all that’s left for the imagination after Monday’s 65-7 emasculation of TCU in the Playoff National Championship Game gave Georgia its second straight national championship.
Because if losing 32 percent of your team doesn’t derail your chances of repeating as national champions, what will?
If losing 5 elite defensive starters — all NFL 1st-round picks — and this year’s team captain and most productive defensive player (who came back instead of being a 6th player picked in the 1st round) to injury doesn’t force a step back on defense, what does?
A 3-peat, just for informational purposes, hasn’t happened since 1936.
Don’t think Georgia’s maniacally obsessive coach Kirby Smart isn’t already thinking about it.
“As long as you don’t have entitlement in your program, you’ve got a shot,” Smart told ESPN’s broadcast minutes after another Georgia championship season. “Right now we don’t have that. It’s creeping, and games like (TCU) make it that way.”
The confetti hadn’t even fallen on another season, the trophy presentation hadn’t been made, and Smart already was looking toward what’s next.
Already warning of the ills of those who believe too much in what they’ve done, and not enough of what’s still out there. He made up this contrived notion heading into the season that “everyone doubted” Georgia, and that the Dawgs were the hunter — not the hunted.
And they believed him.
“We know there are doubters out there,” Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett said earlier this week. “That’s fueled us.”
The next question: How does Smart wind up and motivate the 2023 team, and keep them from complacency?
Because I’ve got some bad news for everyone: Georgia might just be better next season.
Georgia will be a prohibitive favorite to win the Playoff again, and as much as we love to glorify the remarkable story of rags to riches quarterback Bennett, the train doesn’t end here.
Carson Beck will play quarterback next year, and he’s far and away a more gifted quarterback than the quarterback who was responsible for many of the 29 wins in 30 games over the past 2 seasons.
Branson Robinson will be the No. 1 running back and Arian Smith and Adonai Mitchell will be 2 dynamic wideouts, and the offense will more than likely be even more efficient — and dangerous.
If you’re not a Georgia fan, or you turned to Netflix after Georgia led by 31 at halftime, those names mean nothing to you. Have patience, they will.
Just like Jason Walker and Mykel Williams and Daylen Everette and Xavian Sorey Jr. and Marvin Jones Jr. They’ll be household college football names in 2023 on the best defense in the nation — like the past 2 plug-and-play defenses that led the nation in scoring defense.
We’re living through what Saban (and Smart, as his defensive coordinator) built a decade ago all over again. Alabama won the national title in 2011-12, the last back-to-back national champions until Monday — but it could’ve been much, much more.
A year later, Saban badgered officials to put 1 second on the clock at the end of the 2013 Iron Bowl because he wanted to try a long field goal to win game — despite Alabama’s history of average kickers. Then Kick-6 happened, and the chance to win 3 in a row ended.
A year later, Alabama lost to Ohio State in the Playoff semifinals, and a year after that, the Tide won the national championship in Smart’s last season in Tuscaloosa. Those 3 titles in 5 seasons could’ve easily been 4 of 5.
Now here we are with Georgia, and Smart orchestrating the same thing.
At one point during the massacre, TCU coach Sonny Dykes watched another Georgia touchdown and simply said, “Wow.” You’re not alone, Sonny.
Smart has figured out the 1 thing that Saban has done better than any other in his unforgettable time at Alabama. Recruiting is important, player development is critical, big game moxie is rare.
But what Saban does better than anything else is convince the next team that even though you reached the mountain and grabbed the gold last year, next year’s gold is even better. It’s shinier and brighter and you’ll want to embrace it like nothing you’ve ever seen.
Now Smart gets a second shot at it, and Georgia — after going 41 years without a national title — will be at the front of the line again for 3 in a row. No team outside the SEC is built at this point to beat Georgia.
Ohio State will have a new quarterback, and Michigan could have a new coach. USC doesn’t have a defense, and Clemson isn’t the same Clemson of years past.
LSU might still be a year away, and Oregon doesn’t want this heat again.
The only team that could derail the train is You Know Who.
The same program whose coach sat in the broadcast booth Monday night watching his identical twin of a coach/program take control of college football.
Earlier this week, with the long grind of a season winding down and a mentally and physically tired Georgia team running on fumes, Smart turned up the wick and practiced good on good.
The hunter had prey in the way. Why stop now?
Meet the new boss, everyone. Same as the old boss.
For now, anyway. Give him another season to change that.
Dogs tend to do this…. lick their own slobber.
You really are a bitter little fella, aren’t you?
Gators tend to just sign qb’s who spend their free time diddling themselves to pictures of children….I’d rather lick my own slobber. Go dawgs.
That crime is too abhorrent to joke about.
Our coach is too abhorrent to talk about. He has zero credibility in acquiring good players as evidenced by the acquisition of Miller as quarterback. That alone tells exceptional recruits to play somewhere else if you want to win a championship. His five star quarterback will transfer out next year after he watches this boring uninspired offensive game plan he plans on using. I don’t care what anyone says about Napier he simply has done nothing in the portal to improve this team….nothing!
Florida football fans better get used to being bottom feeders because that’s exactly where this team is and is going to be until the administration hires a real football coach.
gagator, im with you. Napier has done nothing to give me hope!
Are you comparing a subpar season to child porn?
KYHoosier…
I’m beginning to believe that I’m one of the only rational people on this site…
Must get tired after close to 70 lickens?
Gators literally had murderers on their team and couldn’t go back to back. As great as Spurier was…and he was great he couldn’t win 2…let alone back to back. What the Dawgs have done is incredible. But some really incredible teams havent won 3 straight. But hey, records were made to be broken.
Florida had a tougher road to travel when Spurrier was head coach in terms of SEC schedule. Also with the current playoff format I suspect had that format been around 25-30 years ago….Spurrier’s gators would’ve been in that playoff a number of times.
Back to Back National Champions. Georgia owns Florida.
Ummmmmm everyone owns Florida including Vanderbilt
Why not a 3 peat?
The 2023 schedule by SEC standards is Charmin soft. GT is the only OOC P5 opponent.
At TN looks like the only Game Day possibility on this schedule.
Of course, UGA is likely to face a very worthy opponent in SEC Champ game.
BTW, Oregon does want more of ‘this.’ But the Ducks likely face 5 top 25 AP preseason teams – USC, OR ST at home; at TX Tech, Utah and UW.
SC plays at OR and Notre Dame and gets UCLA, Utah and UW at home. Riley is keeping DC Grinch. I don’t see SC improved enough on D to go 13-0/12-1 against its 2023 schedule.
I see another season with the Pac-12 likely to have 5 or 6 teams ranked at season’s end, like 2022, but no team finishing 12-1 or better. In 2024 the Pac-10 champ will be in, but not in 2023.
Again, hats off to UGA and its fans on another great season in 2022. OH ST had the roster to match up against UGA; one of the very few teams outside of the SEC that has a roster capable of matching up with the top SEC team(s.)
Well at least their coach doesn’t write crybaby letters
But you sure do.
That was sarcasm
Must suck to be that salty!!
lakelife’s a troll.
Come on DABO – you HAD your run – until EVERYONE could PAY PLAYERS! I’ve seen a lot of posts on here that I thought were just simply STUPID, but I’m nominating YOU for the SPOTY!! STUPID POSTER OF THE YEAR! You have some GREAT competitors but your vile, hateful, and STUPID comments are STETSONLIKE in comparison! Lordy I wish there was a BLOCK or IGNORE button!!
Good to see my trademark phrase still being used. I coined the term “poster” to describe commenters on al.com articles back in 1998 and it took off. A lot of people are still using it. I just thought it worked and sounded better than the word commenter, or blogger. or whatever was the correct term.
Same could be said of Saban and others. NIL and the modern transfer portal have changed a lot of things in college football.
ITS NOT EASY TO DO. BUT THIS GEORGIA TEAM WILL LIKELY 3PEAT!!!! I’VE PREDICTED IT LONG AGO……
This team will almost certainly be better on defense than they were this season. And Georgia was #1 in the country on defense most of this season and I haven’t paid attention recently to the ranking!#!!!
The offense has a ton of talent coming back and a ton coming in. Including an all SEC wide receiver from the portal!!! In fact Georgia is getting 2 extremely good receivers from the portal!!!!! We have Brock Bowers for at least one more season. AND BAD NEWS FOR RIVALS BUT GEORGIA HAS ANOTHER ONE EXACTLY LIKE BOWERS!!! Hands, speed, size and the whole deal named Oscar Delp the former 5 star TE with receiver skills!!!!!!
It absolutely doesn’t matter which Georgia QB is the starter. All 3 are former 5 stars! All 3 can run and all 3 have a laser cannon for an arm and they are all accurate!!!! Our receivers will be a better group with experience and some young dudes. Running game will be special!!!!! We have signed another running back that is under the radar for most. But he has a real chance to be the next TRULY ELITE RUNNING BACK AT GEORGIA!!!! I believe lots of Georgia running backs are ready to breakout!!!! Branson Robinson is also going to be a beast if he stays healthy!!!!!
If any of Stetson Bennett’s magic or leadership rubbed off on our QB room. We’ve always known we had elite talent behind Stetson Bennett!!! What made Stetson Bennett special is his heart!!!!!!
If any team ever had a shot at 3 straight it’s Georgia!!!! I wouldn’t even rule out 4 straight!!!! But let’s go for 3 in 2023 and worry about that now and doing the little things that make all the difference in a great team and a legendary championship team!!!!
PS. The legends put in the unseen effort that people never see!!!!!!
GO DAWGS!!!!!!!
Negan
The Dawgs aren’t licking their own slobber. They’re licking their chops at the thought of taking another bite out of the Gators.
I won’t bet against them. Kirby has the dawgs pulling in the same direction.
Congrats Dawgs. They did the SEC proud.
Thanks Bama and tony. Incredible two year run. Been a Dawg fan since the mid-70s and this is a lot of fun.
The Bama mountain is still there but Kirby is climbing it at a fast rate. We shall see, cause for all the talk about his recruiting, Saban is still doing a tick better.
I think Kirby has achieved parity regardless of the different time spans. Make it a 3-peat – and I don’t see any reason for that not happening – and the discussion is over. As hard as it is for a Gator to say this, GO DAWGS!
I won’t bet against them either. Have you seen that 2023 schedule? Literally Lmao!
Absolutely!
Being in the mix to win it again, not the licking slobber thing.
Kirby’s back on the recruiting trail tomorrow ,or actually later today, visiting Cali kids.
He is the best salesman and like the best salesman I ask my reps the same: “when is the best time to make a sale? Right after you make a sale. That’s the best time to go out and make a sale.”
Dawgs are going after Duce Robinson (#1 TE) real hard.
Yes they are. Another west coast kid about to commit to the G.
“Kirby’s back on the recruiting trail tomorrow ,or actually later today, visiting Cali kids.”
Meanwhile billy has his pencil and paper out starting on his sequel to “Cry Me a River”.
I believe the title is “ It’s Miller Time Pour Me a Loser”.
doubledeuce…You hit it right on the head. As Florida State’s great Head Coach, Bobby Bowden once said “The reason we coaches spend so much time in recruiting is that the team with the best players usually wins; unless we coaches screw it up”. End of Quote.
RaRa Thomas, Dominic Lovett, the #3 and #8 Tight Ends…
The offense is looking good for 2023. Tighten up the Secondary then maybe we could make a run at a 3-peat.
The Dawgz certainly are in great position to three-peat. I wonder if they can keep Monken? He has shown he is one of the best offensive minds in the game, but I can’t see him leaving unless he wants to be a head coach and gets the right offer.
Given his career I’d be more worried about losing him to the NFL than another college. I’d bet he stays for at least 1 more season though.
He’s the highest paid assistant in CFB. I’m sure the Dawgs would make a counter offer.
Truth, you speak truth. Keeping Monken is going to be the key. He is THE BEST play caller in CFB right now and proved it time and again in ’22 and put on a clinic last night.
Right now there is no noise of him leaving before next year but if he stays, there will be HC opportunities very soon.
Steson’s got another year of eligibility left?
Before he starts collecting social security and his pension?
What a great game by SB. NFL teams best smarten up and take this young man far earlier than projected.
Will Levis ahead of SB? COME ON MAN!
NFL teams are a bit dogmatic about size because of durability concerns, but he’ll get a shot. It will be up to him to do what he can with it.
Wherever he ends up they probably won’t doubt him as much as Kirby did.
Heck of a player.
Stetson has big game moxie, but he lacks the big game arm. Yeah he can get the ball down the field, but it takes a while to get there. At 5’11” with good college speed and a medium arm, I don’t see Stetson as anything more than a good backup QB in the NFL. Yes, he has the heart of a lion, but the problem is that in the NFL the defense has the speed and the power of a lion too.
Stetson is a legend in college football. One of the best winners to ever play the game. I wish him nothing but success in whatever he chooses to do with the rest of his life.
I’d certainly take a chance on him were I an NFL GM. Stetson is a winner…pure and simple. Reminds me of Joe Montana.
Bama ain’t going anywhere. We all no that but I’m going to enjoy this for while it lasts and look forward to at least a half decade of Dawgs and Tide battling for supremacy. Should be fun.
Agreed…they aren’t going anywhere…they’ll drop 2 next year too.
Probably lol.
Bama can’t worry about Georgia right now. They have to worry about beating TN and LSU first. They have to earn the right to play Georgia.
HATS OFF TO GEORGIA! An emphatic, devastating championship win.
Greg Sankey should simply pull the trigger, although I know FOX and The B1G Network could get in the way.
Add Notre Dame, USC, maybe Oregon and UW, Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, Clemson, UNC, FSU, and a few other top teams in top media markets and call off the Dawgs.
UGA had more 5* players on its roster than the entire B12 and it showed. Awesome performance by Stetson Bennett who unlike Tom Brady should go well before the 6th round.
A pheltora of talented players on both sides of the ball.
Let us just move on to a Super Conference. And let it be officially NFL-Lite and have an NFL like playoff. And these teams with Sankey as Commish can negotiate with a CFB players union. Agreement on NIL salary cap, contract restrictions on transfers and a HS draft so the conference and PO is competitive. And perhaps, a competitive playoff?
Starting with the brilliant and deserved Hall of Fame member Roy Kramer, CFB was monetised with the BCS in 1983. We have a Power 1 conference today; perhaps, a Power 1 and a half conference. It’s just silly to think otherwise. Oregon,Illinois, Maryland etc. are simply not capable of putting the same talent on the field.
Expanding the PO field will do nothing to stop the best players from going to a handful of SEC schools, Ohio State, maybe USC and Michigan. Uncompetitive schools have to be eliminated.
As an old grey beard I do not like to see this but it was over in 1983 with the BCS and 1 true champion.
But tonight? Nothing matters except the brilliant performance by Georgia.
GO you hairy Dawgs!
1983?
1st year of the BCS. Ist year of making a regional game a national game.
Um … not exactly.
Bowl Coalition: 1992
Bowl Alliance: 1995
BCS: 1998
The only significant thing in this arc that happened in ’83 was Oklahoma filing suit against the NCAA to play more on television. Prior to that the NCAA controlled who played on TV (and it was just 1-2 games a week and bowl games). OU won it in the Supreme Court in ’84, opening the door to the cash cow CFB has become.
It can be argued that football has been more than just a regional game since the advent of the Rose Bowl in 1902, specifically intended to promote intersectional play with Eastern teams.
However many teams, notably Notre Dame, requently traveled long distances by rail to play in other regions.
Penn State proposed a ‘Jet Conference’ in the late 70’s to band together with other then-independents (there used to be a *lot* of them) who traveled often (by jet) to play across the country. It didn’t happen.
It’s more accurate to say that cfb was (once?) a game of tradition and regional rivalries … primarily because those rivalries became tradition before air travel and the interstate highway system.
Go look at the scores of the old Orange, Sugar, and Cotton as well regarding matching tip teamscfrom across the country in big games … frequently with titles decided (albeit usually indirectly so prior to ’92).
Thank you for the correction on the year but I stand by the BCS beginning the change from regional and and it today being a national sport.
Look at the guys on the UGA roster from the Pac footprint. Before the BCS and the domination of the SEC these guys were for the most part staying home.
1984 is when the NCAA lost control of television and conferences were free to go after their own TV contracts.
I respectfully disagree.
If by “national game” you mean roster make-up, most major programs were recruiting nationally in the mid-80s (when the covetted pipelines were California, Texas, Ohio and Pennsylvania … in fact, PSU’s move to the B1G was considered by many to be a deliberate attempt to get stronger in OSUs recruiting territory). ND has always been national.
Look at the 90s rosters at schools like Tennessee and FSU … lots of California kids. Osbourne’s Nebraska famously recruited Florida heavily.
This isn’t my opinion. There are plenty of contemporaneous articles written on it.
OldBaldFrog: Yes, the decision occurred in 1984. That’s why I very clearly said ‘filed’ in my comment.
It is really hard to win one. Two is special. I look at the teams that haven’t three-peated…Bama, Nebraska in the 90’s. On paper could they? Sure. But the games are played on the field and winning 3 straight has proven very difficult. How about we enjoy this run.
2020’s… Decade of the Dawgs!!!!!!!!
Kirby has everything in place to give Georgia a chance, again in 2023.
Todd Monken has the offense running at an elite level. Many have undervalued what this offense is capable of. Taking your foot off the gas and just running it 9 out of every 10 plays after you get up by 2-3 scores in the second half deflates the numbers.
The defense will be elite as long as Kirby is the HC.
I said before this season that the odds were against a repeat, especially after losing the most talent in the modern era of the NFL draft.
The odds of a three-peat must be even higher. Maybe Kirby can use that for motivation.
What a two years it has been! GO43IN23…
That’s the long and short of it. 1 is hard. 2 is really hard. 3? I look back at the great teams in my life. Bama. Nebraska in the 90’s. Miami back in the day. They haven’t done it. If Georgia pulls it off, and on paper they will be right there but the games aren’t played on paper, they will be on a level all their own. You look at this season, they could have easily lost 2. But man, they look set up for it. This is the year they should have lost.
Absolutely. My thoughts after ’21 was we’d rebuild a bunch in ’22 and make another solid run in ’23 or ’24. Wow!
It will be extremely tough as history suggests, but Kirby is building the program to sustain success. In his mind, he’s not there yet. Heaven help CFB if he does!
Very few actually believed that the Dawgs would be in the Playoffs this year with the great loss of talent to the NFL. But these players dedicated themselves to putting in the time/work/effort to be good. Congratulations Dawgs !
Nobody cares. Nobody cares what we did last night. Still, we are the hunters and not the hunted. Hunting season starts today.
And when your only OOC P5 opponent is at GT and at TN looks like the only tough in-conference game why not a 3 peat?
Keep your Rat Poison in Gainesville Matt. Didn’t you pick Tennessee chump?
Kirby has just declared tomorrow a national holiday!!!
I hope with the expletives being deleted? Do UGA fans think the ‘leaked pre-game speech’ is legit?
Oh dear!! A football coach cussing in a locker room. That speech was tame when compared to ones coaches used to give 30 or 40 years ago.
OBF. I’m a Marine, a 75 year old Marine but still a Marine who saw, unfortunately, combat on more than 1 occasion. Including fighting for 8 days to take back The Citadel, not in Charleston, SC but in Hue.
The language used before ‘combat?’ I more than get it and I would have been fired up leaving the locker room.
My guess? There are many ‘the churched folks in UGA and perhaps, Tim Tebow, who might find the pep talk a bit salty?
Who really gives a whip. It’s 2 UGA going on 3.
Kirby has already taken this post personally and will show you doubter!
Saban had the best QB (not including Stetson) in the country and probably first pick in the draft and couldn’t win the SEC West. Time to retire.
Not certain Stetson is any better than the Bama QB, Stroud or Williams? He had an awesome supporting cast on both sides of the ball at UGA.
Stetson outplayed Stroud, but like happened against Bama in the champ game, Ohio State’s best WR went down.
Kirby has Saban thinking it’s time to step down.
I don’t think so. Saw Saban on the broadcast and the look in his eyes said it all.
He will back hitting the road recruiting like Kirby will be. You either have it or you don’t.
Saban has it and Kirby has it.
Hunger to always keep succeeding and staying in the trenches. You are never complacent and you are always in the process to improve with a tenacity to win.
Dawglb…Coach Saban stepping down ? Not hardly. Calm down a bit & think realistically for a moment.
With LSU and TN playing at Bama I definitely think it will be Bama/UGA in the 2023 SEC champ game.
When OK/TX come on board please drop divisions and play 9 conference games. Thank you.
8 conference games is more than enough in the SEC. Dropping the divisions and giving each school 4 permanent opponents and rotating through the conference for the other 4 games would be good.
“Dan Mullen will win a National Title before Kirby Smart.”
— Matt Hayes
“Florida will win a National Title with Anthony Richardson at Quarterback.”
— Matt Hayes
I don’t buy it, Hayes. You still owe Kirby Smart an apology and retraction of the vicious libel you spewed after the 2021 Cocktail Party.
Congratulations UGA!! Unbelievable season I don’t see nothing that would suggest otherwise. I think a third is very possible. Lots of people was counting them out at start of season saying it wasn’t possible to repeat! I don’t see none of them around tonight. Smart is a heck of a coach. Congratulations DAWGS!!
Let’s wait and see, a lot can happen in a year……
No kidding! I just want to enjoy this one and wallow in the back to back.
Too much can happen between now and the start of the season. Not to mention the season itself. Lots of competition out there. And LSU is part of that equation from the West.
Meanwhile Florida fans think Napier is going to be their answer. He can’t figure out the portal, he can’t manage an offense, he’s as dull as a bean bag, he can’t manage game decisions. The next three years for Florida are going to be the worst in modern Florida history. I will venture to say that Vanderbilt will have a better season next year than Florida ends up with.
So you’re not a Florida fan? Figured.
He would have been spewing that same one-dimensional emotional vomit after Kirby’s first season too. We figure him to actually be a Gator, but a very childish one at that.
He refers to Florida fans like he isn’t one. I’m glad he’s not one of ours.
lake=troll.
TCU did not belong in this game and it showed. Bulldogs destroyed this team as it should have. Great win. Good chance at 3.
National Championship game was actually against The Ohio State Buckeyes I believe.
I-T-I-M-I-D-A-T-I-O-N.
I really figured to see TCU keep it competitive for the first 30 minutes, with the curb stomping Dawg Walk in the second half after
Georgia wore them out. Man, was I wrong or what? It was no contest from the first time Georgia touched the ball!
doc…I saw Total-Domination of all phases in that game.
The game was over when the first qtr. ended.
Give it up Bama fans. TCU deserved to be there. They were the best in their conference and only had one loss. They beat Michigan who BEAT tOSU. Ohio State almost beat UGA. I’d bet that if UGA had played Michigan in the semi’s and OSU had played TCU, then TCU would have kept it close vs Ohio State, but lost and Georgia would have had their way with Michigan. Then the Championship game is a coin toss, or probably a loss for UGA. It isn’t that OSU was that much better than TCU, it is the Ohio State game that allowed Kirby to get the Dawgs centered and focused. You can argue that Georgia really only showed up twice this season–first vs Oregon and second vs Tennessee–before the championship game. They are good and they knew that they had better talent, coaching, scheme, depth, everything to beat whoever is on the field just by showing up in the 4th quarter.
Bama romped LSU in the SEC Championship so the “defensive secondary issues” were excused. Besides, they dominated Tennessee and their elite passing offense, so there was no issue there right?
Ohio State showed UGA that there are some weaknesses and they must execute on all levels or they could take a loss. Kirby took that and the message all week was “We have to be better. It takes all of us to be our best to be better.”
TCU came to the game somewhat happy to be there and thought they knew what they were going to face. UGA was a different beast than what we saw most of the season and TCU didn’t have a chance. Hell, I bet the current LA Rams would have had a difficult time beating the Dawgs that played Monday night.
I’m afraid that the dominance that Georgia displayed in the title game will turn to “well, TCU wasn’t that good” not “UGA took a good team and made them look not up to the task.” Saying that TCU wasn’t that good completely diminishes the domination that was shown Monday night.
Err Georgia romped LSU in the SEC Championship (had started another thought but didn’t)
Sure. Arkansas would have “romped” Georgia IF only the razorbacks had made it to the playoffs.
They beat Michigan in a great game and were 13-1 going into the game. UGA had to stage a heroic 4th quarter comeback to survive Ohio St. They just came up against a buzz saw in UGA and had everything go wrong on top of that. In football…..it happens.
They gotta figure out QB for next year
Carson Beck.
I like Stockton tbh reminds me of Drew Brees
No “gotta figure out” in it. Beck is the guy and will be great in Monken’s offense tailored for him. I do think Vandagriff hits the portal though and Stockton takes the QB2 spot.
If I were the Arizona Cardinals, my first call is to Monken.
Todd Monken is 57 years old with a comfortable job that he has mastered & that pays him more than $2million per year, living in Athens, Ga. He is admired & respected by peers & fans alike, & according to him, feels just the same about his boss. I wonder if he would want the challenge of a head coaching position at this time in his life. Of course, Sam Pittman chose that path.
If I were Arizona I’d call the coach of the Rams who is “figuring out his future” or Sean Payton. Although the Cardinals need to do a reboot at QB as I don’t Kyler Murray is the long-term answer.
Back to back to Beck.
Give credit to Coach Smart & his excellent team.
They are clearly better than everybody including
Bama & UM.
Carson Beck is not “more gifted” than Stetson Bennett. Good grief.
In two years Bennett went from average to elite and officially became legend status last night. You’re right, Beck has looked great in mop up, has a great arm but we don’t know yet how he’ll be when all the pressure is on him.
They looked similar to me in the time Beck was allotted – clearly Bennett’s experience and maturity showed the difference right now, but I wouldn’t rule Beck out as getting to the same level.
Stackec roster, solid coaching, fairly soft schedule. They’re going to Atlanta and the playoffs again next year. No doubt.
More lies. Must be a gwhite fan.
Top-5 SOS.
I think he means next seasons schedule…which is very soft…except for the trip to the cow pasture by the Tennessee River..
‘Fairly soft schedule?’ That is putting it mildly.
Congrats Dawgs! Way to make the SEC proud and get them frauds out of here!
Bama and LSU also made the SEC look good. But Ole Miss vs TX Tech? Florida against Oregon State?
I believe the SEC went 7-5 in the bowl season?
Lane Kiffin’s “antics” were a disgrace as was his team’s performance against Texas Tech. All Lane did was make a lot of folks at Auburn breathe a sigh of relief that they didn’t hire him and folks at Ole Miss wonder what they’d gotten themselves into. Florida is a couple years away from being rebuilt and needs to show patience.
Those Sad Georgia Years when the Gators lived in fear and Hope did not appear near
How bout them Dawgs just enjoy this one for a bit and worry about ’23 when necessary!
Amen!
UGA obviously has as good of a chance as any team in the country to win the title next season. I’m thinking/hoping that LSU can be a serious contender. Good times.
I think you will be with Kelly at the helm. He is going to build a monster on the bayou.
Agreed. Kelly did a great job with LSU this year. Those kids played hard every game and even though out-manned against UGA still fought hard to the end putting up over 500 yards of passing on a very stout UGA defense.
Can we enjoy this one for a little while?
It is a strong possibility.
Their schedule is weak. Maybe just 2 teams worthy of trying.
Which allows Kirby to prepare for the SEC Championship game and CFP for next year already.
Sure, not knowing who UGA plays but it gives Kirby an advantage and ample time
So the SEC East is that weak? Interesting.
Yep. UT has a gimmick offense that Kirby shut down already. They are the only threat to them.
They get Joey Freshwater at home from the West and travel over to the plains that are in disarray.
11-1 at the worst.
I don’t think it matters. Except for the margin of victory maybe.
Exactly what kind of offense does billy put out there???
No.1 offense in the country. That Gimmick? With the 92nd ranked defense. Stupid
Offenses like the Vols come up against a real defense and lose a game every year. They never win titles. Every Single Year
No. SCarolina will be a test, Auburn(old time rival), Gators(long time hated state line rivals-always 50/50) KY(physical beating on each other-great D and low scoring) and TN(in Knoxville will fans will be super duper loud).
KY, shut out by Iowa. SO CAR lost to Notre Dame. MIZZOU lost. Florida was rolled by Oregon State. Vandy did not qualify.
Excellent win by Tennessee.
But I don’t see the SEC E top to bottom as being ‘a gauntlet.’
Now is the time to enjoy the win. Now is the time to appreciate everything about this game of college football that we all love so much. Now is the time to relish in the idea that we all get to cheer for SEC teams. We can worry about repeating later.
Yes enjoy it, because the sport is circling the drain with NIL and the portal.
Hear! Hear!
Replacing Oklahoma with Ball State makes that slate next year a cakewalk. They may lose in Knoxville, may.
The sport is circling the drain anyway with NIL and the portal ruining it, UGA might as well get their licks in.
Tennessee is the only team I’d worry about too, Phil.
While the ooc schedule is weak next year, it was the SEC that made UGA drop OK as their opponent. Sucks because would have been a great test to start the season with a new QB as a starter in a big game.
‘Great test? OK went 6-7 in 2022.
Heup dumps any scheduled team that might/could/possibly/maybe give the Vols a real test. Dumped two(2) from 2022 schedule. It is his modus operandi.
I know right. We dodged some bullets there. We should schedule some real tough games like the big boys Bama and Georgia. That would really show them who’s boss.
Let’s take a trip down memory lane to when Saban canceled a home and home series with Michigan State because Saban wanted to go to a neutral site because he didn’t want to play in Michigan. Or do we just not wanna talk about that….
Any team that has a special season like UT did in 2022, has to dodge a couple land mines along the way. That’s football.
Been a loooooong time since we’ve had a season to be proud of. I’ll take it and hope for the best this season.
1. i predicted a blowout on this site yesterday after watching texas destroy the tcu offensive line
2. however all those years of suffering with wally butts until tarkenton came along makes me a little sad that now the dogs are so great we never will feel that we won since the rest of the teams are not up to our level
3. i would have felt more in rapture if the tcu team gave at least some kind of fight
4. makes no sense that michigan beat down osu easy and tcu make michigan look dumb so what kind of magic power gave the dogs this blowout win
5. only thing i can think of is all the fans from all those years who suffered watching bama and florida and tennessee and lsu win over and over is now the future is georgia football forever
6. i hope
Go away. Worse UGA fan on this site.
Well, he did say “I hope”, so there is that. Unfortunately, if anything college football is cyclic. Just enjoy the two-peat and make it three is what I say. And I’ll say it again: Go Dawgs! (until the outdoor cocktail party next year, of course :) )
Eh, he has done mothing but gripe for the last two years. Hated Bennett. Now, he’s a big fan. You know the type.
Anyway, I think the gators are on the right track and the cocktail party will become competitive. You are exactly right. It’s cyclical. Seems to run in 20 year cycles. You got a couple more bad years. Hang in there.
Trust me. He most definitely isn’t the worst. There’s this tranny named kirkm/dawgs2021. Imagine if Gwhite had a retarded baby and then beat it mercilessly for 3+ decades while keeping him locked in a basement.
LMAO so you’re saying that gwhite owns him?
I wouldn’t say owns…..but he definitely straddled this fella for hours on end while both just babbled absolute incoherent gibberish at each other.
Two big red flag in the Michigan and TCU had me thinking this was going to be a blow out. One the fact Michigan spotted them 3 touchdowns and they still almost won. Two the fact Michigans passing game was average all season but TCU’s defense had them looking like a Big 12 offense circa 2014
Michigan’s passing game was average all season? Were you drunk during the OSU game? Their 4 longest gaining plays this season were during that game.
What Kirby has done at Georgia is remarkable but it doesn’t compare to Saban and Bama!!! The SEC has become Alabama & Georgia and everyone else.
Bama took a big step back this year. You’re losing Young and a ton of talent on both sides of the ball. I know that’s the norm at Bama but you don’t have the elite backups to replace what’s being lost like you’ve had over the past decade. NIL and the portal is the death blow to the Bama dynasty. You’ll still be good but not what you’re use to.
They are now in the same tier as TN and LSU. You could even look at throwing Ole Miss and Arkansas into that group. Georgia is multiple steps ahead of the rest of the SEC and are not slowing down.
Comparing Tennessee to Bama is not only comical but foolish! You’re right, Bama did take a step back by not making the playoff but Bamas step back is winning 10 games and I think other teams would be happy with that. Bama is still the Gold Standard in the SEC and College football. LSU hit a homerun with Kelly and are on track but Ole Miss and Arkansas will always be a middle of the pack. Especially Arkansas! The only team you mentioned that has caught up to Bama is Georgia. I’m not a Tide fan but I’m a Saban fan and Kirby although, a great coach still isn’t on Sabans level. Kirby needs about 5 more National Titles.
Ok. Fella. If you can’t see that Bama isn’t the Bama of years past then you need to take off those crimson colored glasses and get those eyes checked out. Not only did you lose 2 games, but you nearly lost to a not very good Texas (playing a backup QB) and Texas A&M teams. Saban is the greatest coach to do it but they are regressing whether you like it or not. TN was better than Bama this past year. I even have proof of it.
52-49.
How foolish and comical of me to provide actual evidence.
You don’t have the talent to replace what you’re losing like Bama has had previously. Your receivers and DBs looked absolutely lost at times. Bryce Young was Saban’s saving grace last year. He’s gone now. This new guy more than likely won’t have the same decision making abilities and it will cost you at times. I guess we will have to wait and see.
A step back = a last possession loss on the road to the Orange Bowl champ and an OT loss on the road to the SEC W champ that destroyed the B1G W champ in its bowl game.
More like baby steps back?
One of the great differences in Alabama now as opposed to 7-10 years ago is that in “those days” Alabama beat teams into submission with a powerful ground game and a dominant defense, which quite frankly intimidated a lot of teams. Today…Alabama outscores people with tremendous skill play at WR and QB. When the WR’s weren’t the quality of recent years and the O-Line is not the dominant road grading group they have been in the past, and the defense isn’t the dominant force of the past….folks aren’t so intimidated. Still any program that wins 11 games a season every year since 2010 is hardly a “down program”.
I’m not gonna sit here and say that Bama isn’t a skilled football team capable of keeping up with any team in the country. I don’t think they took massive steps back either. The loss to TN and the 2 near losses to Texas and A&M are what I’m thinking of. As well as the undisciplined play that is very uncharacteristic of a Saban coached team. They boatraced a few teams just like TN did. This next season is going to be very telling IMO on where Bama stands moving forward.
Oh! I guess I forgot that beating Bama once in 17 years makes Tennessee a powerhouse above the Tide. You lost all credibility when you put Arkansas in the same “tier” as you worded as Bama!
Never said TN was a powerhouse but they did beat Bama back in October and you got 10 more months of having to deal with that. Wasn’t thinking when I put Arkansas. I understand losing some credibility on that one. That’s on me. Ole Miss or even Auburn would’ve been more viable options here. Can’t count out the Freeze.
But if you can sit there and say that this next year’s Bama is going to be able to do what they have done for the last decade, then your ignorance is unmatched. You’ll be considered a gwhite level Bama fan. Bama is regressing and everybody sees it.
VFL, with that post you are now fully-qualified as a real Vol fan who does not understand the world “Reality”. Heup will not ever get the Vols to the promised land. *Note the Georgia vs. Tennessee game of 2022. Oh yes, that S.C. game too.
Reality – seeing things as they exist
Example – Bama fans refuse to face reality that they actually lost to Tennessee.
Never said anything of the sorts regarding Heupel winning a championship. Not once. Bama fans also refuse to face the reality that they are on the decline. *Note the Bama vs. Tennessee game of 2022. Oh yes, that LSU game too.
But it’s all good AFan. We all know you’re the prototypical Bama fan. Real POS at heart. It’s cool We all expect it.
AFan – Alcoholic/Drug Addict/Bipolar…He hit the jackpot. Sounds like the Bipolar is in full force now
Took that right off the comment section. You hold onto that now. I know I’m going to.
Now, don’t go calling out folks and telling them how bad of a person they are for hoping Saban or some other Bama player catches himself a real bad injury. Just don’t want to walk around here looking like a hypocrite now do we? Can’t just walk around bagging on folks for unfortunate incidents in their lives can we?
I can’t be confused as a Georgia fan, but I am a Kirby Smart fan, and what he has built over the last 7 years is truly remarkable. Georgia under Richt always seemed snakebit, and Smart seems to have St. Patrick-ed all the snakes out of Athens, if not the state.
His defenses are so much fun to watch, and the offense under Monken is fantastic. It’s patently unfair to the rest of the nation that Bowers can’t go pro yet.
Good job, Dawgs. Back to back, well deserved. And no, I don’t see anybody stopping this train next year.
Nice – Thank you sir.
UGA did a great job in hiring Kirby Smart and being patient while he built his program’s culture and stocked that program with talent. Now….they’re reaping the rewards of that patience and Smart’s hard work.
Yeah I think if there’s one team who can possibly stop UGA it would be LSU in the SEC championship game…then potentially a rematch in the CFP.
Wouldn’t surprise me if LSU is pegged the favorite in the West in 2023, but it may be Bama since LSU goes to Tuscaloosa.
Maybe? But LSU has to play in Tuscaloosa in 2023? As does Tennessee.
Daniels does not equal Joe Burrow.
Congrats to all the Dawg fans. Your team left no doubt this year. Way to represent the SEC!!! I have gained a lot of admiration and respect for both Kirby and Bennett. True competitors. Well done!
Have you seen our schedule for next season? We only have 2 true road games, at vandy, at Tennessee, And the cocktail party. Every other game is at home. How did that happen?
My bad…Auburn, too. Stll, tho.
Auburn is in a massive rebuild mode after having lost two seasons under Brian Harsin. While I don’t think Auburn could’ve beaten UGA in 2022, I do think had they played in mid November with Cadillac Williams as head coach Auburn would’ve given UGA a real fight as Cadillac Williams did an incredible job in turning around a team and inspiring them to “believe and serve”.
But, playing in Nashville is like a home game anyway, so the original point stands
??
The SEC cancelled the OOC game vs (6-7) OK and GT/UGA is a pretend rivalry.
Plus, the SEC E is not a behemoth.
No matter what team you pull for, last night was not good for anyone! Huge black eye for CFB! Watch out for USC next year though!
You are exactly right. I turned it off at the half and truth be told, I almost turned it off when Georgia went up 24-7. The selection committee has egg all over its face. This bombed in a big way. Bama would have given Georgia a fight. TCU looked like a junior high team against Georgia last night. It was a pathetic performance, almost as though they all were paid to throw the game.
Shoulda won more games
The PO Committee Formula – 2 Ls and you are OUT!
1 more year of THIS!
Alabama was 10-2 and without Bryce Young’s heroics could’ve easily been 6-6. They barely survived and 8-5 Texas with the refs help and until the bowl game didn’t beat a team with a better record than 8-4. Neither USC, nor Alabama nor Utah deserved to get in. Alabama had a great bowl win against K-State, but Alabama matched really well with K-State who had a lot of injuries along both lines of scrimmage.
I can’t believe Riley is keeping Grinch on board as his DC? Unlike last season, SC does not miss Oregon (in Eugene) and UW (in LA) this season. SC also has to play Utah and at Notre Dame. And the UCLA game last season came right down to the wire.
Unless you were referring to USC(e) with Rattler back?
Nonplussed bammer here.
Feels kind of good to not be so much in the spotlight. Congratulations to Georgia and Kirby.
Wearing two crowns is hard enough … Can’t imagine how to wear three!
It’s Good to be the King!
Lots of new posters showing up after this Natty.
There needs to be….I get tired of the same inbred DA’s week after week spewing the same old gibberish.
Well Paul Finebaum layed down on the grass to let UGA 10 lick, kiss and slobber all over his face. Paul’s been blessed & anointed as 99.999% of the BullDawg Nation would love to be blessed. Paul’s a Tennessee alum & fan. He’d prolly have have wanted Smokey to pee all over him. He faced down a lil bitty gator and he seemed to fear that lil baby swamp lizard a little lass than that baby gator feared him.