Since taking over as head coach of the Georgia Bulldogs in 2016, Kirby Smart has had a successful run by nearly every metric. But he and the program have continuously lived in the shadow of conference rival Alabama, led by legend Nick Saban. Now, after a 9-0 start -- which has included dominant victories over premier programs in Kentucky, Auburn, and Notre Dame -- it's time for Smart's top-ranked Bulldogs to finally get over the hump and win a national championship.
To an outside observer, any college coach who's won 60 of 74 games, four division championships, and a conference title would be viewed as massively successful. Only in the alternate universe of the SEC, where expectations are sky-high and talent ranks supreme, these accomplishments aren't enough.
Smart is an apple off the Saban coaching tree. They spent time together at LSU and Alabama, and with the Miami Dolphins. Smart left Alabama for his first head coaching opportunity, which just so happened to be with their top rival. In the competition between Jedi master and his former apprentice, Saban has established superiority -- he's 3-0 in head-to-head matchups against Smart.
For the last five years, the Crimson Tide have been the better program. But in 2021, all of the stars are aligning for Georgia to take the next step forward, and dethrone Alabama. Although they placed second in the initial CFP rankings, Alabama does have a blemish on its resume -- back on Oct. 9, they lost to a then-unraked Texas A&M.
The defeat will inevitably impact Alabama's playoff seeding, and prevent them from passing Georgia until after the SEC title game. On Saturday, third-ranked Michigan State suffered its first loss of the year against Purdue, which means there's no longer an undefeated team in the Big Ten. Therefore, the Bulldogs control their own destiny. Win out, and they'll most likely retain the No. 1 seed.
More importantly, Georgia has all the tools to succeed. They have six seniors on the defensive side of the ball, and one of the nation's best linebackers in junior Nakobe Dean. The two-headed backfield monster of Zamir White and James Cook has carried the load, and allowed the Bulldogs to play a ground-and-pound brand of football.
Senior quarterback Stetson Bennett has performed admirably in JT Daniels' absence, and settled into a game manager-type role with great protection of the ball. Over the past few weeks, Bennett has staked his claim as the starter, even though Daniels is back from injury. The USC transfer adds explosiveness to the offense, but he's more prone to turnovers, having thrown three picks in four games. There are also durability concerns with Daniels, who's dealt with significant injuries in two of his four collegiate seasons.
Fortunately, the Bulldogs are deep enough across the board to succeed with whoever lines up under center. But deciding whether to ride the hot hand of Bennett, or return to the higher upside of Daniels, will still play a major role in deciding Georgia's final fate.
The competition in the SEC has been lackluster, comparative to years past. Three-loss Kentucky is in second place in the Western division, while Florida, South Carolina, and Tennessee have had massive letdown seasons. On top of that, it's hard to believe the middling LSU Tigers are only two years removed from their undefeated national title run.
Alabama's still playing at an elite level, but they aren't merciless bullies at the moment. Yes, the pairing of freshman quarterback Bryce Young with receivers John Metchie III and Jameson Williams is among the best in college football. But they're still a far cry from the days when first-round picks Henry Ruggs, Jaylen Waddle, Devonta Smith, and Jerry Jeudy played backyard football with Tua Tagovailoa.
The folks in Athens paying Smart's multimillion-dollar salary aren't into moral victories, or pats on the back. In the sixth year of his tenure, the expectation bar is also allowed to go up. A combination of fielding their best team in years and facing seemingly inferior teams has created the perfect storm of events for Georgia to finally break through. If the Bulldogs don't roar their way to a national championship, this season should be considered a catastrophic failure. It's officially time for Smart to put up or shut up.
Jack Stern is a columnist and an associate producer for CBS Sports Radio. You can follow him on Twitter @J_Stern97.