Steve Spurrier says Georgia accomplished 'second-hardest thing' in college football
Steve Spurrier says Georgia accomplished 'second-hardest thing' in college football
Former Florida Gators head coach Steve Spurrier does not view the Georgia Bulldogs' 2024 college football season as a failure. We have to agree with Spurrier. Georgia won the SEC despite playing the toughest schedule in the country.
Georgia beat the Texas Longhorns in the SEC championship game with its backup quarterback. Yes, Georgia went 11-3 and lost in the Sugar Bowl to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, but head coach Kirby Smart really maximized this Georgia team. The Bulldogs were very unlikely to win a national championship with starting quarterback Carson Beck out for the season. Georgia's SEC championship is a nice consolation prize.
"You've got some people out there saying Georgia didn't have a good season, and that's ridiculous," said Spurrier in an interview with Dawgnation. Georgia fans should look back at the past to understand how good of a season it was for UGA.
From 2006 to 2015, former Georgia head coach Mark Richt did not win a single SEC championship. Georgia broke its SEC title drought with a remarkable 2017 season. The Bulldogs have already won three SEC championships during the Kirby Smart era (2017, 2022 and 2024). Georgia did not even win an SEC title during the 2021 national championship season.
Every year can't be championship or bust. There's too much roster turnover in modern college football.
Spurrier points out that Smart is the only active SEC coach to win an SEC championship. Georgia had to beat Texas, who was among the top teams in the country twice to win the 2024 conference championship.
"That's (winning an SEC championship) the second-hardest thing there is to do in college football," said Spurrier. Georgia fans don't have to look far to see another notable SEC championship drought. Florida has not won an SEC title since 2008, which was back when Tim Tebow played.
"Those (Georgia) fans need to appreciate Kirby (Smart)," added Spurrier, who also coached in the SEC at South Carolina. Only LSU's Brian Kelly has even won a division in the SEC, which highlights the gap in Kirby Smart's experience and winning history from the rest of the conference. Spurrier thinks that only Ohio State's Ryan Day had a significantly better season that Kirby Smart.
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