Kirby Smart isn’t pretending the Georgia-Clemson series cancellation is a one-off problem.
When the Bulldogs and Tigers were reported Monday to have “mutually agreed” to scrap their home-and-home series - originally slated for Clemson in 2029 and 2033, and Athens in 2030 and 2032 - Smart made it clear Wednesday that his frustration reaches beyond this matchup. Georgia and Clemson are about 90 minutes apart, they’ve played 66 times, and Georgia leads the series 44-18-4. Still, the bigger issue for Smart is the shrinking space for the kind of non-conference games he used to champion.
“I don't have a good answer for that,” Smart said. “I don't know what has to happen or if I have any control over what has to happen.”
That tone fit where college football is headed. Smart once pushed hard for high-profile season openers, arguing they gave teams a jolt in the offseason and helped the postseason case. But with the College Football Playoff expanding to 12 teams and Power 4 leagues moving to nine conference games, those matchups are getting harder to keep on the books.
“There's a lot of college football right now that's questioning the decision-making of committees and different groups in terms of playoff games,” Smart said. “And certainly think that might have something to do with it. I think the easy answer to that is if people feel like the best teams are being included regardless of a win-loss column, it would probably open that up.
“And that's always been talked about and it's always been preached about to us, to us meaning SEC coaches, that things are going to be taken into consideration is strength of schedule, strength of opponents, strength of all these things. And then it doesn't seem like that happens.
And a lot of things have got to happen in order to make it where the best teams are invited to the tournament. And that might be expansion.
That might be qualifying who the best are.”
Smart also acknowledged the simple reality: the games fans want and the games teams need to survive the playoff race don’t always line up.
“I think a lot of people - and look, I would love to play those games,” Smart said. “I think those games are what the fans want.
It's what the players want. It's what everybody really wants ultimately at the end of the day is to have an opportunity to do those things.
But I can promise you all those same people want to make the playoffs as well.”
Dabo Swinney sounded just as resigned on Tuesday, calling the situation a sign of the times.
“2026 … the world we live in,” Swinney said. “I hate it.
I think it's great for fans. I get it, though.
You won't have many people play 11 power 4 games. You're going to nine conference games.
I wish it were less. I wish we played seven conference games and crossover games out of the conference.
It is what it is.”
The recent history between the programs has been tilted heavily toward Georgia. In the last two meetings, both played at neutral sites in kickoff classics, the Bulldogs controlled the Tigers.
In 2024 in Atlanta, Carson Beck led Georgia to a 34-3 win, throwing two second-half touchdowns, including a 40-yard strike to London Humphreys that put the game away. In 2021 in Charlotte, Georgia won 10-3 after holding Clemson to 180 total yards and just two rushing yards while piling up 121 on the ground itself.
The last campus game came in 2014 in Athens, when Georgia opened the season with a 49-21 win behind Todd Gurley’s 198 rushing yards. Gurley also took a kickoff back 100 yards for a touchdown in that one.
For now, Georgia’s 2029 non-conference schedule includes only Georgia Tech. In 2030, the Bulldogs currently list Ohio State, Georgia Tech and North Carolina A&T.
That means the Ohio State series is the one drawing the most attention moving forward. Entering 2026, the Buckeyes have won nine national championships and have not lost more than two games in any of the past 14 seasons.
North Carolina A&T, a first-time HBCU opponent for Georgia, owns a .539 all-time winning percentage and is looking for its first winning season since 2022.
In Other News...
Georgia Gets An O-Line Boost Just In Time For Oklahoma
Georgias offensive line is getting a welcome bit of good news at just the right time, with Drew Bobo expected to be back on the field without the protective club on his left hand for the first time since the injury he sustained in fall camp. Kirby Smart has already pointed to Bobos toughness and stamina, and the update matters for a front that has needed bodies and reliability as the Bulldogs prepare for Oklahoma.
Bobo has talked about his own growth as a player and the standard he tries to bring every week, even while dealing with injuries. For Georgia, his return to something closer to full strength adds another layer of stability up front, and it comes at a moment when the Bulldogs can use every available piece as the schedule tightens and the stakes rise. [Read more 🡒]
Georgias First SEC Clash With Oklahoma Carries One Intriguing Twist
No. 2 Georgia gets a fresh SEC test this weekend when Oklahoma comes to Athens for the first regular-season meeting between the programs, and the matchup arrives with the Bulldogs still unbeaten while the Sooners have slipped out of the AP Top 25. Kirby Smart and Brent Venables both spent the lead-up talking through where their teams have been strong and where they still need work, a familiar tone for a game that carries plenty of curiosity even before kickoff.
One wrinkle could shape the way Oklahoma approaches the trip. Defensive tackle David Stone was hurt in practice with a knee injury, and his status remains uncertain, which adds another layer to a defense that will already be dealing with Georgias physical style at home. For the Bulldogs, it is another chance to stack a quality win against a new SEC opponent, but the Sooners are coming in with enough front-line talent and coaching familiarity to make this one more interesting than a simple rankings check. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia Fans Have One Painful Reason To Watch Tennessee This Week
Saturdays SEC matchup between No. 1 Texas and No. 14 Tennessee carries a strange kind of interest in Athens. Georgia has its own business to handle against Oklahoma, but the result in Knoxville could shape the top of the rankings in a way that makes Bulldogs fans pay closer attention than they would normally like. For a program sitting right behind Texas, the path back to No. 1 suddenly runs through a game involving one of its old rivals.
Thats what makes this week feel a little uncomfortable for Georgia supporters. Tennessee is not exactly a school many in Athens are inclined to pull for, yet a Volunteers win could clear the way for Georgia to rise to the top if it takes care of Oklahoma. It is the kind of scoreboard-watching that comes with being in the thick of the playoff race, even if it means briefly setting aside some long-running rivalry feelings. [Read more 🡒]