Kirby Smart looked forward on Sunday.
A day after making a plea to be included in the four-team College Football Playoff after a narrow loss to Alabama in the SEC Championship Game, the Georgia head coach was focused on the consolation prize. One loss Georgia will face undefeated Florida State, which had its own claim to be included in the playoff, in the Orange Bowl on Dec. 30.
With both teams snubbed, Smart was asked whether he was worried about what awaits in another bitterly disappointed opponent.
“I empathize with anybody who goes undefeated and doesn’t get in,” Smart said. “I empathize with our players because I personally feel like we deserve to be in. We have a really good football team. We were considered No. 1 in the country all year and then fell. We’ve got a kicked hornet’s nest around here with players who are disappointed too. That works both ways. The good news is that we’ve got each other to go play.”
Georgia suffered its first loss of the season on Saturday, one that also snapped a 29-game win streak. Smart made his case for Georgia to be in the playoff.
“(College Football Playoff executive director) Bill Hancock said it’s not the most deserving (teams), he said, simply it’s the best four teams” Smart said after Georgia’s 27-24 loss to Alabama in the SEC Championship game. “You’re going to tell me somebody sitting in that committee room and doesn’t think that Georgia team is not one of the best four teams, I don’t know if they’re in the right profession because it’s a really good football team. It’s a really talented football team. It’s a really balanced football team. They have to make that decision, but it’s the best four teams. That’s critical.”
Georgia is the two-time defending national champion. It won’t get to try for a third straight title, something that hasn’t been done since the 1930s. Instead, they head to Florida for a bowl game while Michigan, Washington, Texas and, yes, Alabama, vie for the championship.
“This should be a great matchup,” Smart said of the Orange Bowl. “Two giants in college football, across history and recently. … I know our players were pumped and excited when they found out today who we get to play.”
Georgia will be making its 62nd bowl appearance, second most of any team, and their 27th consecutive berth, the longest active streak in the country.
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