Mind game: How Georgia coach Kirby Smart handles magnitude of Clemson opener, title expectations

ATHENS — Kirby Smart doesn’t listen to the outside noise any more than he stops to smell the roses.

The sixth-year Georgia head coach is tight when it comes to allocation of time and resources, always looking to make sure each step is in the right direction, each decision aimed toward the ultimate goal.

It’s been a zany offseason of change in college football filled with just as many curious hot takes. At some point a narrative started that Smart -- only 45 years old and in his sixth season as a head coach -- was somehow under the gun to win a national title this season.

An ESPN writer who covers the Big Ten curiously skipped over Michigan’s massive failure to reach its league title game the past 10 years and labeled Georgia the biggest underachieving program in the nation.

Preposterous, of course.

But, could this finally be the year? Is a championship coming Georgia’s way?

“It has to be,” Smart said. “If it’s not coming, then what are we doing? So, I don’t look at it from the perspective of winning. I look at it from the perspective of what’s important now, what are we doing now?”

Expectations

Georgia has been ranked in the preseason Top 5 on four straight occasions -- a program record. It’s an incredible feat when one considers the Bulldogs had only three preseason Top 5 rankings in program history prior to hiring Smart.

Riding a wave of four-straight finishes in the Top 7, Smart has raised the bar on Georgia football, and in the process, brought historically high standards for himself to live up to.

Smart doesn’t run from expectations, but he sees no reasons to talk about them, either. Actions — not words — are what will be required for the Bulldogs to break through and win their first national championship since 1980.

Smart’s No. 5-ranked Georgia program plays No. 3 Clemson at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday in one of the most-hyped openers in recent memory. The Tigers are a 3-point favorite to win.

Big-game perspective

Smart is 4-0 in games against non-conference teams ranked in the Top 10, and he’s never lost an opening game since becoming Georgia’s head coach.

But Clemson is special, riding a wave of 10 straight regular-season wins over SEC teams, with Dabo Swinney 11-5 in matchups of Top 10 teams dating back to 2015.

Some might suggest there are championship implications on Saturday night in Charlotte, N.C.

But the reality is that either team could lose and still make it to the College Football Playoffs and win the national championship.

Smart and Swinney both know that, and that’s one reason why it made sense to rekindle this colorful and productive rivalry.

“The bottom line is our kids come to the University of Georgia to play in big games, (and) we had an opportunity to play a really good opponent,” Smart said, explaining why he jumped on the opportunity to play the Tigers.

“For me, it’s what Georgia is about. Our fans crave these kinds of games, we as coaches crave these kinds of games.”

Room to improve

Both teams are tired of butting heads in practice and need fresh meat. Smart said there’s not much more improvement that can take place without the players facing other outside competition.

“You find out a lot more about yourself when you play in these kinds of games,” Smart said. “For you (media) guys it’s everything, for us it’s an opportunity to make us grow and be better in our SEC schedule regardless of the outcome.

“We are going to be a better team after playing these guys and they can say the same for playing us.”

Once again, Smart’s action is not without purpose. Georgia dominated offseason headlines and drew tremendous publicity by scheduling the opener.

Also, a program like Clemson will expose all of Georgia’s weaknesses and give Smart and his players and coaches something to work on and build off, regardless of the outcome.

That said, Smart fully expects an overreaction to the final score, good or bad.

“it will be a national measuring stick for everybody to say ‘Georgia is either here, or Georgia’s gone,’ " Smart said. “It’s what the world is made out of. You’re judged based on your performance right now.

“I’ll never forget when they threw away the Patriots and Tom Brady after one game and said the dynasty was over and they were terrible … they go on and end up having a great season and win the super bowl.”

Championship vision

Smart’s eyes are on the big prize every season, and 2021 is no different.

“That’s the end game, that’s the goal,” Smart said. “That’s what you’re always trying to work towards. It doesn’t make it a successful season or a failure if you don’t. I just don’t look at things that way. I don’t let that control my thought process in my life.”

And this Clemson game, as big and exciting as it is, isn’t going to make or break Smart, or change the way the Bulldogs do business.

“I don’t think you ever judge things based on one game, that’s obviously something that is always on a continuum,” Smart said. “That doesn’t stress me out because I know regardless of the outcome of this game, we’re still going to have a good football team one way or the other.

“The job that I will have to do will be different depending on the outcome of this game, but Sunday morning we will be worrying about our next opponent.”

And it’s a safe bet Smart will go about his work the same way, getting from one level of improvement and accomplishment to the other in the straightest line possible.