Dawgs for 3?: Georgia has a chance to make football history

Kirby Smart has spent the past 16 years coaching two of college football’s top powerhouses, so the morning after his Georgia Bulldogs won their second straight college football playoff championship game, he was already in everyone’s head. I understand the questions that arise.

“I really don’t want to talk about 3,” Smart said in a Los Angeles hotel ballroom on Tuesday, just before Bulldog went home.

Smart may not want to discuss it, but after wiping out TCU 65-7 in the most one-sided postseason college football ever, Georgia does something unprecedented in college football in the last 80+ years. I couldn’t deny that I was already thinking about chances…a game that will go down in history.

The Bulldogs have won more national titles (2) than losses (1) in the past two seasons, setting a new gold standard in college football after going 15-0 this season.

They will have a golden opportunity next year to go for a third straight win, something never done before in the era of AP polls dating back to 1936.

“I think it gets harder when you start thinking about what’s next,” Smart said. “And I think we’ll have to reinvent ourselves next year because we can’t stay the same. There’s a lot of people coming back to make us feel comfortable. And comfort can’t be beat.” .”

In the long history of the AP Top 25, no team has won three consecutive national championships from voters. Since voting became annual in 1936, 12 teams, including Georgia this season, have ranked first in the final Top 25 for consecutive seasons. Many teams, most notably his 1930’s Minnesota and his 1940’s Army, won his third consecutive title. As awarded in other polls.

No team has won three consecutive AP Vote, Coach Vote, Bowl Championship Series, or College Football Playoff titles. This puts Georgia right at the pinnacle of history, and it could very well be.

“I mean, this place is special,” said defensive back Javon Bullard, who will return in 2023 after making two interceptions and recovering a fumble against TCU. “Growing up as a kid in Georgia and playing at the University of Georgia is something special. The word ‘dynasty’ is what we are building together. And it was built before us and will continue to be built after us. ”

25-year-old quarterback Stetson Bennett’s illustrious career finally came to an end, and outstanding defensive tackle Jalen Carter declared himself in the NFL draft shortly after the game. Other expected losses include defensive his backs Keeley Ringo and Christopher Smith, huge tight ends Darnell Washington, linebacker Robert Beal, and offensive Chunk in his line.

But a wave of talent swept Georgia each year during Smart’s tenure at his alma mater. In addition to the addition of several elite players to the transfer portal, the Dawgs have another bumper his recruiting class, notably majors in Mississippi (Lara Thomas) and Missouri (Dominique He Lovett). Receiver.

Georgia also has a very comfortable 2023 schedule, with a trip to Tennessee later in the season looming as perhaps the biggest obstacle to a trip to an undefeated regular season and SEC title game.

Vegas agrees. According to the FanDuel Sportsbook, the Bulldogs are his 3-1 favorites.

In the big picture, it will be years before Georgia collects the accolades of Nick Saban’s Alabama days. The Bulldog has won two national titles and his two SEC championships under Smart. Six of Saban’s seven national titles and his eight conference titles come with the Crimson Tide.

However, Georgia is only the fourth team to reach this historic cliff since 1980, winning two consecutive national titles.

The last team to come close to three-peat was also Alabama, who won national titles in 2011 and 2012. The Tide finished his 2013 No. 1 ranking, winning his first 11 games, while Auburn shut Alabama out of his SEC Championship. The game and the final BCS title game against the legendary Kick Six—a 109-yard return of a missed field goal by Chris Davis for a touchdown on the final play of the game.

After going undefeated to the BCS title game at the Rose Bowl, Southern California was just minutes away from winning their third straight in 2005. The Trojan bid ended in heartbreak with his 41-38 win for Texas, led by Vince Young, in one of the sport’s greatest games.

College football is always changing, and Georgia recalled on Tuesday that beloved quarterback Stetson Bennett chose not to come to the traditional morning press conference.

Bennett, who wants an NFL career even more impossible than college, said on the field after the game that his obligations to Georgia were over after the final whistle blew.

“I know he has GOAT status forever in Athens, Georgia,” Smart said.

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AP College Football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25