Kirby Smart had a strong message for the College Football Playoff Selection Committee following Georgia’s big win over Tennessee on Saturday night.
Georgia entered Saturday’s game as the No. 12 team in the latest College Football Playoff rankings. While the field has expanded to 12 teams this year, the ranking would have placed the Bulldogs outside the tournament. Boise State, which was ranked No. 13 heading into Week 12, would have been guaranteed a playoff spot as the highest-ranked Group of 5 conference champion had those rankings been final.
By beating Tennessee 31-17 at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Ga., Smart’s team dramatically increased their chances of making the playoff. Judging by the comments he made after the game, Smart was not pleased that Georgia was even on the bubble.
“I really don’t know what they look for anymore,” Smart said. “I would welcome anybody in that committee to come down to this league and play in this environment. It’s a tough place to play.”
— no context college football (@nocontextcfb) November 17, 2024
Smart’s message was also an endorsement of Tennessee. The Volunteers fell to 8-2 but still have a chance to make the playoff. Smart continued to state his case for the SEC during his postgame press conference.
“We’re trying to be a really good quality team that’s not on this emotional roller coaster that’s controlled by people in a room somewhere that may not understand football like we do as coaches. … It’s different in our league,” Smart said, via Pat Forde of SI.com.
The remarks from Smart were a reminder that expanding the College Football Playoff from four teams to 12 teams will not make the committee’s job any easier. The five highest-ranked conference champions will receive automatic bids, but there will be plenty of difficult decisions to make outside of that.
