DESTIN, Fla. — Kirby Smart doesn’t mince words or attempt to bridle his confidence when discussing the Georgia football program.
The fourth-year head coach is refreshingly candid and direct when speaking of the direction he’s leading his beloved Bulldogs — even as he knows some might question it.
No doubt, Georgia’s scheduling plan of having of multiple Power 5 non-conference opponents each season is on the aggressive side.
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“If you recruit well and you have 85 scholarship players, you should have the depth,” Smart said at the SEC Spring Meetings at the Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa. “We’ve got the rule now that you can play four games and still redshirt. We’ve got access to a larger pool of players.
“I think that’s important when you go and play these kind of schedules.”
Georgia had the No. 2 ranked recruiting class in 2019 according to 247Sports, and the Bulldogs were No. 1 in 2018 and No. 3 in 2017.
Smart said he’s not necessarily sure if or when the College Football Playoff will be expanded from four to eight teams.
But the former All-SEC safety has zeroed in on the importance scheduling has on building a CFP resume.
“What I am forecasting is we’re going to have a strength of schedule that’s going to allow us one, two, three, four, eight teams to be one of the teams in the conversation because of who we play,” Smart said.
“The regret of the naysayers will say an extra loss is going to cost you — my argument is the men in that room, the women in that room that are on that (CFP) committee, are going to have to balance somebody that goes out and plays three non-conference Power 5 teams. We felt strongly it was important to do it.”
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