Georgia partisans, at least those who remember the pre-championship days, can at least recognize the decision made by Penn State this weekend.

The Nittany Lions fired James Franklin on Sunday. After 12 seasons, 104 wins, a Big Ten championship and a College Football Playoff semifinal appearance, Penn State decided Franklin wasn’t going to lead them to where they want to go.

Franklin’s record against the best teams was perhaps the biggest complaint at the end of his tenure. He was 4-21 against top-10 teams during his time at Penn State. That mark was evidently enough of a factor to pay Franklin’s $49 million buyout.

Penn State was good under Franklin. It wants to be great. National championship great. Georgia great.

The decision, in some ways, mirrors what Georgia did with Mark Richt a decade ago.

Richt won 145 games in his 15 seasons at Georgia, starting in 2001. The Bulldogs won not one but two SEC titles. Had there been a 12-team College Football Playoff during his tenure, perhaps Georgia could’ve gotten to a semifinal or further.

Like Franklin, Richt had to contend against other top teams in his own conference. Florida was the main villain during the 2000s before Nick Saban and Alabama emerged in the 2010s. The losses to Alabama in 2008, 2012 and 2015 were particularly painful.

In 2015, Georgia went 9-3. But a day after Georgia’s win over rival Georgia Tech, athletic director Greg McGarity had seen enough to elect to move on from the beloved Richt. Losses to Alabama and Florida that season by a combined 52 points gave ample justification.

Richt was paid a $4.1 million buyout and Georgia began looking for its next coach.

Kirby Smart was that person. Rumors of interest in South Carolina and Virginia Tech only fueled the need to go out and bring in Smart, a former Georgia player and assistant, as the coach to take Georgia from a good program into a great one.

Ironically, the game between the end of Richt’s tenure and the start of Smart’s came against Franklin’s Penn State team in the 2016 Gator Bowl. Georgia won 24-17.

Of course, it was no sure bet Smart would take Georgia where it wanted to go. He had never been a head coach before and there would be plenty of growing pains that came with that. What seems obvious now was not when he was hired.

Smart went 8-5 in his first season at Georgia, a step back from where Richt had the program in his final two seasons on the job. Richt also took the head coaching job at Miami and was right there to be compared to Smart. He went 9-4 in 2016.

But Smart quickly showed he was up for the task, getting Georgia to overtime of the national championship game in his second season at Georgia. He’s consistently signed elite recruiting classes, won three conference titles and won back-to-back national championships.

Smart was asked this week his thoughts on the move made by Penn State. He side-stepped the question, electing to instead focus on a game against No. 5 Ole Miss.

The firing of Franklin shows how razor-thin the margins have become in the sport. Penn State had the ball in the fourth quarter of a tie game against Notre Dame in a College Football Playoff semifinal. Had Drew Allar thrown a late touchdown instead of an interception, perhaps Franklin would still be in charge.

But Penn State has lost three in a row and Allar is not out for the season. Athletic director Pat Kraft is tasked with finding his version of Smart. Matt Rhule has quickly come up, as he was a Penn State player and a one-time volunteer assistant.

What’s perhaps more jarring for Smart is just how quickly things can turn. Franklin did a very good job with the Penn State program. Most would sign up for what he brought to the school.

But expectations rose and Franklin failed to meet them. He’s been rewarded handsomely — the $49 million he’ll receive is the second-highest buyout in college football history — but the failure likely stings all the same.

Smart lives with those same national championship expectations. He was able to deliver on them and has kept Georgia among the nation’s elite. He positioned Georgia to be chased by programs like Penn State.

Even if Georgia has slipped in the last two seasons, Smart doesn’t have to worry much about his job security. Two national titles and a $105 million buyout have Smart very secure in his standing.

The price and willingness to chase greatness just went up because of the firing of Franklin. Georgia understands that because it showed the leap from good to great can be made.