Kirby Smart talks CFP expansion, Georgia’s schedule & SEC Media Days | Get Up

SEC Media Days continue college football season around the corner SEC media days continue today headlined by the biggest of the dogs in every way Georgia the Bulldogs enter as the favorites to win the conference at plus 200 looking to avenge their lone loss from last season which came in the SEC title game to Alabama kept them out of the college football playoff but they bring back their Star Quarterback Carson back under center after throwing for nearly 4,000 yards in his first season as the starter he finished with the second most yards in a season in program history and of course leading the program yet again is Kirby Smart looking to win his third National Championship in the last four seasons should he do it he would become the 16th coach all time to win three national championships and it is our pleasure to welcome Kirby Smart live to the program here coach thank you for getting up with us this morning we appreciate it and you know before we get into your team and everything else I I feel sort of obligated to to ask you this I had Nick Sabin on yesterday in this exact spot and I was thinking this morning I he has been omnipresent in your life he was your boss he was your Mentor ultimately he became your biggest rival what does it feel like with him no longer on that sideline now it's different uh I tell you the most unique part I think Lane and I were sharing some texts uh he reached out to talk to us to prepare for this uh media days and uh I still got Hear from Kirby Smart LIVE nervous on the phone with him I felt like I was still talking to my boss I told Lane I said he's still calling us and asking about our teams and I feel like I'm sharing inside information or something but he he's been a critical part of uh my career and so many coaches careers I'm just happy he stayed involved in college football and he's helping carry the torch forward he's been an incredible asset for me yeah yeah for for all of us and and we are delighted he'll be a part of it as well and so now let's let's get into your program here I I was looking at your schedule this morning and frankly I have no idea how you sleep at night you open with Clemson you at Bama in sep M you're at Texas in October how do you prepare your team for what looks like a gauntlet particularly early in the schedule yeah it's a tremendous schedule credit to Greg sank you for adding the additions we made to our league it's going to make some fabulous TV and awesome games um our our team's looking forward to it we need to stay healthy Mike it's going to be a a gauntlet it always is in the SEC but especially this year with the additions we have and the road schedule I'm not real sure how we ended up with uh Old Miss and uh Texas and Alabama Kentucky all on the road so it should be a gauntlet and that Clemson game is a neutral sight game in Atlanta to start the season but you mentioned there are so many changes in the sport it it is remarkable how different college football is going to be going forward from what it has been and primarily as you discussed Texas and Oklahoma and the conference now no divisions in the SEC how does that change the way you prepare for a season I think maybe a lot of guys are starting to look at the preseason camp you know and you model a little closer to the NFL which um the NFL has a longer season we're going to have a longer season we have an expanded playoff so they have a large playoff and you start asking yourself um how do I practice in preseason camp to make sure that we stay as healthy as we possibly can and I think that's one thing that college coaches are starting to look at and maybe Smarter on soft tissue injuries and hamstrings and things like that interesting yours is a program that has literally lost two games in the last College Football Playoff expansion three seasons so losses are are are generally speaking they have been devastating in college football because of the way the the championship has been decided now there's this 12 team playoff how if at all does that change the way you approach a season I think the approach becomes who can handle this adversity that hits during the season better in the past it was like one loss and your whole season's over maybe two in some some cases um now you know that devastation can't impact your entire season you can't let one loss uh cost you a chance at a playoff by letting the next week affect you so it's going to be critical to see how teams manage it I think the NFL experience I had where you know maybe an eight and8 season gets you in the playoff that's not going to be the case but you got to be able to advance and use losses to to make your team better at the end of the season yeah you see here on our screen here this is the new format and I think a lot of fans are are still or maybe even just beginning to digest just how different everything is going to be but it should be fascinating another situation here Kirby and you and I have talked over the years about the evolving landscape of the sport it's another way in which it is an entirely different Enterprise than it was when you got to Athens a decade ago between you know paying players and transfer portal how would you describe as someone who really sits a top the sport right now how would you describe the way it has made your job different it it's made it ever changing it's like there's these these Seasons um the season of football's about to start and we all love that as coaches cuz that's what we signed up for the season that starts somewhere around uh November and December of retaining your players is critical now you're looking at um possible free agency early in in the middle of a season where an NFL team wouldn't have to worry about that until uh a later date so you're constantly managing things you're communicating more uh you want to be on top of it don't let it manage you uh but it's different and you know the the the the fact that our players are are making really good money now I think that's a great benefit to them um it brings on other issues and other problems when they get that money but I'm happy for these guys and their families they earn it uh they they they have a great Revenue stream through our University and and they represent our University when they go out on the field so they have to do that thing those things the right way one one for you here and we so appreciate your time coach Paul Fine bound was on here yesterday he said Kirby is the new Nick Sabin I mentioned your team has lost two games in the past three years what is it like managing a program that has a bar that is set that high it's a joy I I promise you each and every day I get up I I think about how blessed I am to be the leader of this University and um that lead the leadership doesn't come without cost which I mentioned last year but I mean I'm blessed to be here today and represent the University of Georgia I don't know that I thought uh 20 years ago I would be sitting in the seat I'm proud to be in the seat and it's an honor uh it's not a job coach I very much appreciate you doing this best of luck as you begin your season I'm sure we'll talk down the road as you go through the beginning of that Gauntlet thanks for the time today thanks Mike appreciate it [Music]