Georgia's Kirby Smart blasts Greg Sankey when he should be thanking the SEC boss

Kirby Smart roasted Greg Sankey after Georgia’s SEC championship win when he should have thanked the commissioner for a schedule that prepared the Bulldogs for the playoffs.
Georgia honed its mental toughness through the fires of an SEC schedule that included three tough road tests.
Georgia beat Texas in overtime and now faces a first-round CFP bye.

ATLANTA – Kirby Smart stood on the stage bathed in glory as his players celebrated an SEC championship, but even in that moment meant for celebration, Georgia’s coach set his sights on a new opponent.

When Smart goes on a warpath, he spares no one.

Even if that someone is the most powerful figure in college sports, the commissioner of the SEC, standing just a few feet away from Smart.

After Georgia’s 22-19 overtime win Saturday against Texas in the SEC championship game, Smart defeated Greg Sankey.

Georgia’s victory earned a bye in the first round of the playoffs. When ESPN’s Laura Rutledge asked Smart during an on-site interview what that bye meant, Smart sharpened his tongue.

“It means peace for a team that Greg Sankey and his staff have sent on the road. all year round. We can take a little break and get ready for the College Football Playoff,” Smart said. “This team needs some rest.”

Georgia fans cheered Smart’s sharp dig at the SEC boss, while Sankey listened grimly.

As fun as it may be to go after “the man,” when you unpack Smart’s comment, you realize how crazy he sounds.

Georgia played exactly four true away games all season. One of those came against Kentucky, the second-worst team in the SEC.

The Bulldogs also played neutral-site games against Clemson and Florida, but neither Sankey nor his staff determined the venue of those games.

Why Kirby Smart came after Greg Sankey from the SEC

So what is Smart upset about? Presumably, Georgia has drawn away games against Texas, Alabama and Mississippi, all of which are ranked in the top 15 of the current CFP rankings.

Three tough road tests. Georgia lost two and won one.

Georgia’s schedule is undeniably considered one of the toughest in the country, but can be compared to the schedules of Florida, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Mississippi State, LSU and Vanderbilt.

Do you want to participate in the SEC? That means playing some tough games.

Anyway, Smart should thank Sankey instead of complaining.

Thanks to Georgia’s SEC schedule draw, no team will enter the playoffs more battle-tested than Smart’s Bulldogs.

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Smart also knows full well that the away game locations will change next season, so that Georgia will host Alabama, Texas and Ole Miss in 2025, when it will only play three true away SEC games, one against Tennessee and two against Conference bottoms Mississippi State and Auburn.

Do you think Smart will complain about this?

Kirby Smart gives Georgia a new villain to prove otherwise

A motivational maestro, Smart excels at creating front men and getting the Bulldogs to unite to take them down. Remember when Georgia’s Nolan Smith said the 2022 Bulldogs had experts predicting they would go 7-5? Yes, no one in their right mind said or thought Georgia would finish 7-5.

The casting of Sankey as Georgia’s nemesis becomes the new “Everyone thought we were going 7-5!”

While following the SEC-mandated schedule, Georgia developed perseverance and a healthy resume. The Bulldogs have four wins against playoff teams, more than any other team considered by the CFP.

This won’t be considered Smart’s best team. Inconsistency became the theme of Georgia’s regular season. But say this about these Bulldogs: They don’t go into the night quietly, even when they’re outplayed for most of the game — like they were on Saturday and last week in an eight-overtime win against Georgia Tech.

Georgia bounced back in the SEC Championship Game behind backup quarterback Gunner Stockton after Carson Beck left with an injury in the first half.

“We never panic,” Georgia running back Trevor Etienne said. “I don’t know if that’s good or bad. It turns out it’s good for us. No matter what the situation is, no matter what happens, I believe in us.”

Georgia’s win list includes a one-point lead over Kentucky and two overtime triumphs.

“Let’s find a way,” Etienne said of Georgia’s mentality. “That’s one of the best things about this team.”

Yes, it actually is.

There is a lot of mental strength in Georgia. It’s almost as if the Bulldogs were born in the fire of playing on the road against difficult SEC opponents.

“I’ve had physically tougher (teams) and more physically talented ones,” Smart said, “but I don’t know if I’ve ever had a mentally tougher team.”

“They just keep coming and going, and they never tell them to die.”

Thank you, Sankey, for preparing Georgia so damn well for the rigors of the playoffs.

After Smart pointed his dagger at the commissioner after the game, Sankey later put his arm around the Georgia coach during the celebration and engaged him in conversation.

Only these two could tell you what was said in that moment, but if I could fill in the speech bubble it would read: “You’re welcome, Kirby.”

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