ATHENS —Kirby Smart rejects the notion that it’s a “championship or bust” season for Georgia football, but the oddsmakers clearly feel differently.
The Bulldogs are favored by double digits in all but one of the advanced game lines that have been released by DraftKings.com.
“I don’t think it’s national championship or bust, I don’t think any coach could say that’s truly what it is,” Smart said in a recent ESPN podcast with Rece Davis and Pete Thamel. “That’s not believable to me, that’s not sustainable.
“What measures success is the same thing it did the last seven years: Did we do the best possible job we could with this team?” Smart said.
“That comes from the team buying into that and that comes from everyone in the organization buying into that, but you can’t quantify that in a number of wins or losses, I don’t think you can do that.”
Maybe not, but the Bulldogs are expected to roll their competition this season on the heels of winning back-to-back CFP Championships.
Some have pointed to having to replace Stetson Bennett, but Georgia is having a harder time finding players that can replicate the unique qualities and difficult matchups that Darnell Washingon and Kenny McIntosh presented as two of the most versatile players at their positions and quite some time.
There’s no opening line out for Georgia’s first game of the season against UT-Martin at 6 p.m. next Saturday.
The Skyhawks are an FCS-level school with fewer scholarship players than the FBS programs, and they were beaten at Tennessee last season, 65-24.
Here’s a look at the advance lines on other Bulldogs’ games that have been released:
• Georgia -24 vs. South Carolina, Athens, Sept. 16
• Georgia -18.5 at Auburn, Sept. 30
• Georgia - 21.5 vs. Florida in Jacksonville, Oct. 28
• Georgia -19.5 vs. Ole Miss, Athens, Nov. 11
• Georgia -8.5 at Tennessee, Nov. 18
