Georgia and Alabama Meet Again with Big Questions for Kirby Smart
So, let’s talk about the latest chapter in one of college football’s most intense modern rivalries: Georgia vs. Alabama. Every time these two meet, it feels like something bigger than a game is happening, and this season’s SEC Championship matchup is no different. What’s fascinating is how the storyline keeps circling back to one lingering question — does Kirby Smart still have an Alabama problem?
Even with all the conference realignment chaos happening across the sport, the SEC title game seems to exist in its own world where certain patterns hold firm. And one of those patterns is that when December arrives, it’s almost guaranteed that either Alabama or Georgia is headlining the conference finale. This year? It’s both of them again, marking the fourth time in the last decade they’re facing off in Atlanta for the championship.
Now, Kirby Smart has built Georgia into a powerhouse. More than 100 wins. Three SEC titles. Two national championships. The Bulldogs have become a measuring stick for the entire sport. But when the opponent is Alabama, the numbers just look… different. Smart is 1–7 against the Crimson Tide, and even though a poor record against a particular rival can be overcome — we all just saw Ryan Day finally get past Michigan — this matchup keeps shining a spotlight on the odd statistical gap.
Also Read:Take this one: Georgia’s winning percentage under Smart jumps from an already elite 85% to nearly 90% if Alabama is removed from the equation. But against Alabama alone, that number drops to just 14%. He has nearly as many losses to the Tide as he does against the rest of college football combined. That’s wild.
And it isn’t just one part of Georgia’s game that seems to dip in this matchup. The Bulldogs’ defense, usually suffocating, has allowed Alabama to average more than 30 points and over 440 yards per game — significantly more than what Georgia allows against anyone else. Alabama has even delivered four of the 14 times Georgia has surrendered 35-plus points during Smart’s entire tenure. That’s remarkable consistency from one opponent.
The offense hasn’t exactly had an easy time either. Georgia’s scoring drops by almost nine points per game when facing Alabama, turnovers go up, and successful scoring drives go down. It’s like Alabama has a blueprint that consistently nudges the Bulldogs off rhythm.
And on this SEC Championship stage specifically? Georgia is 3–1 under Smart when the opponent isn’t Alabama… but 0–3 when Alabama is the team on the other sideline.
Still, there’s that one massive exception — the national championship win for the 2021 season. That night, Smart cracked the code. It’s proof that the Alabama problem isn’t a permanent wall… but it is a real one.
Now the question is whether this year’s showdown becomes another chapter in Alabama’s dominance — or the moment the numbers finally start to shift in Georgia’s favor.
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