SEC Championship Preview: Georgia’s Dynasty Marches On, Alabama Awaits
Another wild, unpredictable SEC season is nearing its final chapter-and somehow, we’ve ended up right where we always seem to: Alabama vs. Georgia, with the conference title and a golden College Football Playoff ticket on the line.
Sure, the 2025 season delivered chaos in spades. Close games became the norm, coaching carousels spun early and often (Florida, LSU, and Auburn all made changes before Halloween), and the transfer portal plus NIL era has brought a level of parity we’ve never seen before. And yet, despite all of that, it’s the two titans of the sport-Georgia and Alabama-who’ve emerged once again to battle for SEC supremacy.
Let’s be clear: programs like Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Texas, and even Vanderbilt made noise this year. Any of them could still make a deep postseason run. But when it comes to the SEC crown, it’s the familiar heavyweight matchup that defines this era of college football.
Kirby Smart’s Bulldogs: A Dynasty in Full Stride
In his 10th season, Kirby Smart has already cemented himself as one of the all-time greats in SEC history. And this season? It might be one of his finest yet.
Georgia’s 16-9 win over Georgia Tech last Friday wasn’t flashy, but it was historic. That victory marked the Bulldogs’ eighth straight win over their in-state rival, tying the longest streak in the series-matching the infamous eight-game skid Georgia endured from 1949 to 1956. What was once a rivalry defined by heartbreak has become one of dominance.
And that dominance extends well beyond just the Yellow Jackets. Since 2017-Year Two of the Smart era and the unofficial start of Georgia’s dynasty-the Bulldogs are a jaw-dropping 34-2 against their biggest SEC rivals: Georgia Tech, Florida, Auburn, and Tennessee.
This season marked the fifth straight time Georgia swept all four. That’s 20-0 against those teams since the 2021 national title run.
Let’s break that down:
- 8 straight wins vs. Georgia Tech
- 9 straight vs. Auburn
- 9 straight vs. Tennessee
- 8 wins in the last 9 vs. Florida
That’s not just dominance. That’s control of the region.
A Senior Class That’s Seen It All
This year’s senior class has built a legacy that will be hard to match. Over four seasons, they’ve compiled a 50-5 record, won a national championship in 2022, claimed two SEC titles, and finished in the top seven nationally three years running-with a fourth on the way. They've made it to Atlanta for the SEC Championship every single year.
And speaking of Atlanta, Georgia has now played in eight of the last nine SEC title games under Smart. No team or coach had ever appeared in six of seven, let alone eight of nine. That’s a level of sustained success that’s nearly unprecedented in the modern era.
The Golden Years: Titles, Streaks, and Records
The back-to-back national championships in 2021 and 2022 remain the crown jewels of Smart’s tenure. Georgia finally toppled Alabama in the 2022 title game, winning 33-18 in Indianapolis to bring home the program’s first national title since 1980.
The following year, they didn’t just repeat-they obliterated TCU 65-7 in Los Angeles, capping a perfect 15-0 season. That 58-point margin remains the largest in bowl game history.
And while Georgia didn’t make the CFP in 2023, they still closed the season with a statement: a 63-3 demolition of Florida State in the Orange Bowl.
The numbers speak for themselves:
- 42-game regular season win streak (SEC record, 2020-2024)
- 33-game home win streak (SEC record, 2019-2024)
- Three consecutive 12-0 regular seasons (2021-2023)-a feat no other program has ever accomplished
This year’s 11-1 regular season marks the seventh time in nine years Georgia has entered the postseason at either 11-1 or 12-0. That kind of consistency is what separates great programs from dynasties.
Elite Company in the Rankings
Georgia is currently ranked No. 3 nationally and is a near-lock for a ninth straight top-10 finish. That kind of run puts them in the rarest of company-alongside programs like Alabama, Florida State (during the Bowden era), Michigan, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, and Ohio State.
Over their last 74 games, Georgia is 68-6. That’s a staggering 91.9% win rate.
And then there’s Kirby Smart himself. His career winning percentage sits at .853. For perspective:
- Knute Rockne: .881 (Notre Dame)
- Nick Saban: .806 overall, .877 at Alabama
- Bear Bryant: .780 overall, .824 at Alabama
Smart’s not just building something special-he’s already among the elite.
The Road Ahead
Now comes the next test: Alabama. The SEC Championship Game awaits, and with it, another chance for Georgia to add hardware to the trophy case-and perhaps set up a third meeting between these two powerhouses in the College Football Playoff.
The stakes are massive. The path to another national title goes through Atlanta. Again.
These are the golden years of Georgia football. And they’re not done yet.