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Bracket season: Favorites advance in Kirby Smart top moments tournament

Kirby Smart is entering his fifth season as Georgia's head coach.
Jeff Sentell/DawgNation
Connor Riley
Connor Riley

The first round of the top moments of the Kirby Smart era is in the book and it was very chalky. Every top three seed advanced past its first-round matchup, with only Travon Walker’s sack of Auburn putting up much of an upset bid as a lower-seeded entity.

The moments have been cut from 32 to 16. The heavy favorite in the tournament is still Sony Michel’s Rose Bowl walk-off, which won by a 96-4 margin, the highest in the first round. That will take Georgia’s shutout of Tennessee in the second round of the 2017 bracket.

Related: Full results from first round of the Kirby Smart bracket

For the full bracket and voting ability, scroll down as we continue to try and determine what is the best moment of the Kirby Smart era of Georgia football.

2017 region

No. 1 Sony Michel’s walk-off against Oklahoma vs. No. 5 shutting out Tennessee

Breakdown: Picked up a 96-4 victory in the first round. Michel’s game-winning touchdown run is the heavy favorite to win the entire bracket. Think back to how great it felt in that moment for the Bulldogs to punch their ticket to Atlanta.

Eeked out a 51-49 win in the opening matchup. The shutout over Tennessee was the Volunteers’ worst defeat since 1905. It also showed that Georgia had one of the top defenses in the country during the 2017 season.

No. 2 D’Andre Swift touchdown against Auburn vs. No. 3 Notre Dame takeover

Breakdown: The Notre Dame moment cruised to an 88-12 victory in its first bout. You could’ve easily argued for Terry Godwin’s touchdown catch or Davin Bellamy’s game-ending strip-sack, but that entire weekend really validated that Georgia had one of the best fan bases in the country. That victory also proved to be a springboard to a season that ended in the national championship game.

Swift’s touchdown run earned a 76-24 win. It wasn’t quite as easy as Swift’s touchdown to knockout the Tigers.

2016 region

No. 1 Nick Chubb’s return vs. UNC vs. No. 4 Maurice Smith pick-6 against Auburn

Breakdown: The No. 1 seed in. the 2016 region did what No. 1 seeds are supposed to do, winning by a count of 86 percent to 14 percent. This was Chubb’s first game back after a horrific knee injury against Tennessee in his sophomore season. He came out and ran for 222 yards, the second-most in his illustrious Georgia career. The result also gave Georgia a win over North Carolina in Kirby Smart’s first-ever game as Georgia’s head coach.

But the Maurice Smith interception and touchdown won by an even bigger margin, knocking out Trent Thompson’s monster Liberty Bowl by garnering 92 percent of the votes. A Smith upset of Chubb would likely be a bigger one than what Georgia did back in 2016 in beating a top-10 Auburn team.

No. 3 Jacob Eason’s winner against Mizzou vs. No. 2 Rodrigo Blankenship kicks game-winner against Kentucky

Breakdown: As opposed to real-life, Eason scored a victory over Jake Fromm, but only just barely. Unlike Eason’s touchdown in the Tennessee game, this one actually proved to be the winner. Eason’s fourth-down toss to Isaiah McKenzie gave the Bulldogs their first SEC win under Smart and Eason his first road win.

As he often did during his Georgia career, Blankenship came up big and took down the famed black jerseys in his first-round victory. This game-winner was Blankenship’s first really big moment and he absolutely delivered. He also gave an incredible post-game interview with his now-iconic rec specs and helmet still on.

2018 region

No. 1 winning the SEC east at Kentucky vs. No. No. 5 Kirby Smart’s post-Florida celebration

Breakdown: The No. 1 seed rolled to an easy victory, just as the Bulldogs did against Kentucky back in the 2018 season.

But it faces what might be a tough matchup, as the 2018 Florida win gave us a look at an extremely happy Smart.

No. 2 D’Andre Swift’s touchdown run against Auburn vs. No. 3 Jeremiah Holloman’s touchdown catches against Florida

Breakdown: Georgia fans still hold Holloman’s athletic achievements in high-regard as it took down a spicy moment from Georgia great Deandre Baker in the first round.

But taking down an iconic Swift run might be as hard as well, tackling Swift. Especially when he posted a career-high 186 yards in the win over Auburn.

2019 region

No. 1 The Notre Dame lights show vs. No. 5 George Pickens’ Sugar Bowl

Breakdown: The two Notre Dame victories will always hold a special place in Georgia history, as the 2019 game is on the shortlist for best home games at Sanford Stadium. It helped that the Bulldogs also took down a top-10 team that day as well.

Meanwhile, Pickens’ Sugar Bowl withstood Eric Stokes’ best effort and came with a 63 percent to 37 percent in the opening round. It will take a monster effort though to tkae down the top-seed in the 2019 region.

No. 2 HBTFD vs.  No. 3 Jake Fromm slays Florida, again

Breakdown: Smart going blue in the postgame performance wasn’t exactly as popular after the fact as it seemed to be in the moment. He did eventually apologize for swearing after beating Auburn and winning the SEC East once more.

As for Fromm, his final Florida win is the only one moment of his that made it to the second round. But we think there’s a decent chance it can beat Kirby Smart cursing.

Full Kirby Smart bracket

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