ESPN recently unveiled its rankings for the best coach in college football.

The panel of voters selected Indiana coach Curt Cignetti as No. 1 with 94 total points. Just behind Cignetti is Georgia coach Kirby Smart.

Of the 10 panelists, four had Smart as the No. 1 coach in the sport, whereas Cignetti received five first-place votes.

Cignetti led Indiana to a national championship last season. That Georgia hasn’t won a College Football Playoff game in each of the previous two iterations likely plays a part in Cignetti sitting above Smart.

But whereas Cignetti is new to the big stage, Smart has become a mainstay at Georgia. The Bulldogs have made four of the previous five College Football Playoff fields. They are the only team in the sport that can say that.

“The argument for Smart is his program remains the gold standard for elite, sustained success even as the expanded CFP, the portal and NIL have in many ways made his job tougher,” ESPN’s Max Olsen said. “He has maintained an incredibly high standard at Georgia with no bad years, finishing in the top seven of the AP poll in nine consecutive seasons, with eight trips to the SEC title game. If you exclude the COVID year, Smart is averaging 12.6 wins over his last eight full seasons at Georgia. His SEC record is a ridiculous 40-5 since 2021.”

Smart is entering his 11th season at Georgia this fall. The Bulldogs are once again expected to have one of the top teams in the country.

Quarterback Gunner Stockton returns, as do a number of experienced contributors on the defensive side of the football.

The Bulldogs have almost always had a strong defense under Smart and that is expected to be the team’s calling card once again in 2026.

“You look at the returning productionthat’s back across the board, a defense that ranks in the top five nationally in returning production,” ESPN’s Greg McElroy said on the Always College Football Podcast. “And when you watch Georgia, you see the same thing every year, right? They run it, they stop the run, they don’t beat themselves, and they’re super physical.”

Smart has always embraced being one of the top contenders in the sport. The Georgia coach is well aware that his team has not been able to be at its best in each of the last two College Football Playoffs.

Georgia last won a College Football Playoff game back during the 2022 season, when it beat TCU in the national championship game. The Bulldogs came up short against Notre Dame and Ole Miss in each of the previous two seasons, despite winning the SEC championship in both years.

Only winning an SEC championship once again won’t be good enough for Smart and the Georgia team.

To remain the gold standard in the sport, the Bulldogs need to bring home another national title. Something this 2026 Georgia team has the potential to do.

“We had a good spring. Got some guys coming back,” Smart said in April. “Got some youthful spots that I worry about, but at the end of the day, you know, that’s what they pay you to do as a coach. All summer we’re going to work with these guys. We’re going to find things they can do and try to find an advantage we can put them in in matchups.”