Kirby Smart sounding off after the SECCG last night:
Wear and tear is one thing, but when you voluntarily sacrifice the safety of the athlete in your league to meet the demands of a conference currently in a contract with Fox Sports, you’re doing it in the wrongest of ways, Greg. If you made the mistake of watching the B1G Championship game and hearing what sounded like a used car salesman making a pitch for a Shamwow while being fellated, you’d understand why that’s more of an insult to the SEC than anything. Sankey succumbed to pressures from a second-rate, yet highly financed and respected conference while seeming to forget that the SEC has long been the standard in college football.
Give ‘em hell, Kirby. I doubt Greg is on Kirby’s Christmas Card list each year, no?
He aint lyin. Im not scared of anyone, now. OSU IU was less than impressive. Our offense can do more and Gunner exercised some demons last night. Game on… in 24 days?? I guess that long break scares me a little.
I watched the game and just didn’t get all the fuss. Only my opinion but I didn’t enjoy watching it. May be my SEC bias, but more than likely was listening to those ridiculous announcers treat up a pedestrian catch on a 5 yard out route like it was the second coming.
Texas Tech looks legit to me. IU played at Oregon and won by 10. I guess we will see how it plays out. Dawgs defense can play with anyone right now.
Kirby is to be commended for his honest and bold exposure of the crap that has flowed downhill from the money mountain.
I’m proud he’s the coach of the Georgia football team and an unofficial spokesman for the whole conference.
I hope Greg Sankey was paying attention.
“Nothing’s too much trouble for the guy who doesn’t have to do it”.
I noticed that Sankey made a quick exit from the podium at the trophy ceremony. I don’t believe he made any comments, unless I missed it.
Kirby, like Saban, is always on the mutha
My wife and I both noticed that too. He handed over the trophy and skulked off.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Long Duk Dong reference in regard to college football. Well done, JP.
Gracias
I think the writing is on the wall about conference championships. If Bama gets left out, plus a 9 game conference schedule, we will hear a lot of discussion about cancelling conference championships and expanding the field of playoff teams.
We have all talked about how conference regions is what made CFB fun. The super conferences continue to erode college traditions. Removing conference championship games are just another step away from what makes college fun.
ESPN doesn’t want this. The SECCG was the 6th highest viewed game last season (it beat 2 playoff games). That’s valuable inventory to give up over Kentucky and Vanderbilt.
FOX must not have a problem with it. They know the solution. Bigger brackets and play-in games that Corch was shilling for.
Fox wants to expand the playoff to get some of the inventory that ESPN controls and sells to TNT. The Big 10 wants the SEC to devalue its championship game to change to “play-in” games in the name of inclusion.
We’re not getting 9 conference games because of the B1G. We’re getting the 9th conference game because ESPN/Disney is now willing to pay for a different mix of inventory after seeing the 2 year ratings boom with the “secondary” rivalries.
It will be a sad day when the SECCG goes away because someone dared to beat Alabama and the SEC referees. No one cared 2 years ago when a team riding a 29-game winning streak and 2 national titles got left out.
If someone had just decided let’s do a 2/6 or 3/5 model to save the rivalries, this could have been done.
This right here is what blows my mind no one is mentioning…. We literally got kicked out of the playoff in 2023 for losing this game by 3 after a 12-0 season being back to back national champs… good season Gumps. Enjoy the Cheez its bowl!
I didn’t mind getting left out 2 years ago (doesn’t mean I liked it) because what happened around the game made it a de facto quarterfinal (it’s the reason I still hate the expanded playoff). The winner was going to be in and the loser out. You didn’t hear Kirby start screaming that the SEC needed to get rid of the game.
The reason the Bammers (maybe) and the Shorthorns (definitely) aren’t going to see their name on the screen in 3 hours is that their teams lost to Mike Norvell and Billy Napier not because they got boatraced by Georgia.
I STILL mind getting kicked from #1 to #6 and getting left out of the CFP in 2023. Bama beat us by 3 and had that “catch” by Isaiah Bond in the 2nd quarter on 4th down that was NOT reviewed and led to a Bama TD. Did someone know that it was Saban’s final year before he quit so that he didn’t have to deal with NIL?
Exactly right, ee.
Al I know is Kirby is the voice that people will listen to. His love for all aspects of the game is extraordinary. Best coach in football period.
I’ll believe they don’t still put Alabama in when I see it. They would find a way to put a four loss Alabama in. They would straight face explain why Alabama was the most impressive four loss team in college football history and gush over the quality of their schedule. It’s one thing I have always hated about college football; “brand names.” Notre Dame ranked innthe top fifteen every single year even though we all know it’s a joke most years. Florida State to a slightly lesser degree. Alabama should be left out. Not because they lost their conference championship but because they got their ass beat and lost to an awful Florida State team. But I’ll believe they don’t get in when I see it.
Wow, Kirby addressed it a year early.
Love Kirby and glad he spoke out…
…but his contract, those of his coaches, facilities and winning roster fueled by NIL are benefactors of the money grab while fans are paying $800 for nosebleed seats at FBS games. I would prefer Jere Morehead stepping to the podium and saying “We need to take back control of this.”
Here, here!! CBA needs to happen NOW!
As much as I would love to see Bama left out, just because F-them, I would absolutely watch a Bama vs. ND matchup in South Bend in mid December snow and cold. The ghosts of Ara Parseghian and Bear Bryant might appear in the Grotto for just such an event.
Expect the committee to pair SEC teams against themselves clearing the path for b10 teams.
I’m with the networks on this. I want good. games. every. week. What happened to iron sharpens iron?
If you must, go out of conference instead of another sec game – but make it a good team, not a directional school. No patsies.
I agree I want better games. Reward teams who play more difficult schedules. Do away totally with the committee. Compare strength of schedule and records. No analytics they reward cupcake schedules. It should be who you played and who you beat or lost too nothing else.