Kirby Smart is not one to suffer fools, so it came as no surprise to see the Georgia head coach take on boisterous ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith.

“The last three national champions have come from the Big Ten, and it’s three different schools,” Smith said in a split-screen interview with Smart.

“It’s not one school of the 20 (18), it’s Ohio State, it’s Michigan, it’s Indiana,” Smith continued. “Why is it not time for us to say the Big Ten is the best conference in all of college football, as opposed to the SEC?”

Smart, who won the past two SEC championships and the league’s most recent national championships following the 2021 and 2022 seasons, didn’t blink.

“Because I asked every NFL scout and every NFL coach which one produces better players, and it’s not close when it comes down to it,” said Smart, who himself has had 84 players selected in the NFL Draft over the course of his 10 seasons at the helm, including 21 first-round picks.

“Now on the field, go look at what they play and their schedules and look at ours and who we play,” Smart said. “I’ve got friends that coach in the Big Ten, they’ll tell you the difference between the SEC and the Big Ten. They’ll never admit it openly, but they tell me that.”

Smart is arguably the best coach in either conference by two key metrics, 25-11 in games decided by one score compared to the 31-19 mark of Curt Cignetti in such games and 7-7 mark of Ohio State’s Ryan Day.

Smart is also 40-17 against Top 25 teams while Cignetti is 6-2 and Day is 26-11.

Smart has faced only three teams that are currently in the Big Ten, emerging victorious each time: 34-11 over Michigan in the 2021 CFP Orange Bowl semifinal, 49-3 over Oregon in the 2022 season-opening game and 42-41 over Ohio State in the 2022 CFP Peach Bowl semifinal.

To Smart’s point on NFL talent, the SEC set an NFL record with 87 players selected in the 2026 NFL Draft — the 20th-straight year the SEC has had more players drafted than any other collegiate league.

As for league depth, Mississippi State is the lowest ranked of the SEC’s 16 teams in the ESPN College Football Power Index 2026 — seven of the Big Ten’s 18 teams are ranked lower.

“I have a lot of confidence in this league, and this league is really tough and physical,” Smart told Smith. “Those (Big Ten) teams have an opportunity to schedule games and play us just as well.”

Two of the biggest non-conference clashes of the season will take place in Week Two when preseason No. 1 Ohio State travels to play at No. 5 Texas and No. 10 Oklahoma plays at No 16 Michigan.

Smart said he credits the Big Ten teams that have won national titles, but the SEC had won the previous four and 13 of 17 dating back to 2006.

“They (Big Ten) have done a phenomenal job winning those national championships and I’ve got nothing but respect for those programs,” Smart said. “But I can promise you this is the toughest conference in college football.”