Kirby Smart calls out CFP committee for loss of Georgia-Clemson games

Some of Kirby Smart’s biggest wins as Georgia’s head coach have come against the Clemson Tigers.

The 2024 season opened with a commanding 34-3 win over Dabo Swinney’s team. Both made the College Football Playoff that season.

In 2021, Georgia emerged victorious in a 10-3 defensive slugfest. That season ended with a national championship for the Bulldogs.

As for when Georgia and Clemson will next meet, that is unknown after the schools agreed to cancel four scheduled games: 2029, 2030, 2032 and 2033.

“Look, I would love to play those games,” Smart said on the SEC coaches’ teleconference Wednesday. “I think those games are what the fans want. It’s what the players want. It’s what everybody really wants, ultimately, at the end of the day, is to have an opportunity to do those things. But I can promise you all those same people want to make the playoffs, as well.”

Smart gave a longer explanation about how the College Football Playoff Committee plays a role in games like Georgia-Clemson no longer getting played.

Although Georgia and Clemson both got in to the College Football Playoff in 2024, it was only because the Tigers won their conference championship game. Had Clemson lost, Swinney’s team would not have made the 12-team field, in part because of the loss to Georgia.

Just a season ago, Texas missed the College Football Playoff after it had an early season road loss at Ohio State. The Longhorns also lost on the road to Florida and Georgia in conference play.

“There’s a lot of college football right now that’s questioning the decision-making of committees and different groups in terms of playoff games,” Smart said. “And I certainly think that might have something to do with it. I think the easy answer to that is, if people feel like the best teams are being included regardless of a win-loss column, it would probably open that up.

“And that’s always been talked about, and it’s always been preached about to us — to us meaning SEC coaches — that things are going to be taken into consideration is strength of schedule, strength of opponents, strength of all these things. And then it doesn’t seem like that happens.”

The College Football Playoff is currently weighing whether or not to expand its current field from 12 to possibly 24. The SEC has preferred a 16-team model, in the event there is expansion.

“A lot of things have got to happen in order to make it where the best teams are invited to the tournament,” Smart said. “And that might be expansion. That might be qualifying who the best are.”

Georgia has made the College Football Playoff in each of the past two seasons and four of the previous five overall.

As for Swinney, he sounded off on the news at his Tuesday news conference.

“I hate it, just because I think it’s great for fans. But I get it. I don’t know how many people play 11 Power Four games. We’ve been playing 10 around here forever.”

With both the SEC and ACC expanding their conference schedules, games like Georgia-Clemson have been squeezed out. Georgia has also dropped future games against NC State, Louisville and Florida State all within the past year.

Georgia is in the process of scheduling a neutral site game against Florida State in 2028, with Nashville reportedly being the host site.

The 2021 and 2024 games were both played away from campus. The last time Georgia and Clemson completed a home-and-home came during the 2013 and 2014 seasons. Clemson won its home game during the 2013 season, with Georgia returning the favor the following year.

Georgia satisfies the SEC’s schedule criteria to play one Power Four nonconference foe every season with its annual game against Georgia Tech. The Bulldogs will host the Yellow Jackets on Nov. 28.