Georgia may be headed to No. 1 in the College Football Playoff Rankings on Tuesday night, but Kirby Smart is treating it like just another step in the week.
The Bulldogs are 8-1 overall and 6-1 in the SEC, and the conversation outside the building is already drifting toward rankings and a possible three-peat in the SEC Championship Game. Inside it, the focus is squarely on Missouri, which comes in at 6-3 and 3-3.
“The ranking means nothing,” Smart said. “Why would we change something based on the ranking? That has nothing to do with what we do.”
That message fit right into the tone Smart struck after Georgia’s 42-7 win over Ole Miss. He pointed back to the Auburn loss that came after Georgia’s 20-17 road win at Alabama, the victory that pushed UGA to No. 1 earlier this season.
“We went on the road last time and beat a team at night that’s a really good team, too, and didn’t take care of business the next week,” Smart said on Saturday night in Oxford, Mississippi. “So, you know, how you handle success says a lot about you. Our guys are starting to kind of believe in each other and believe in the plan.”
For Smart, the answer is repetition, not reinvention. The routine stays the routine.
“We have a Monday schedule, we have a Tuesday schedule, we have a Wednesday schedule, we have a Thursday schedule, w.e have a Friday, Saturday, Sunday schedule,” Smart said. “We’re going to follow that schedule no matter what, until it’s completely inoperable or we’re just dysfunctional and we can’t function.”
Georgia’s profile has only grown louder around the sport. The Bulldogs are the betting favorites to win the CFP Championship at FanDuel Sportsbook, listed at +250 ahead of Notre Dame (+400), Alabama (+550), Miami (+850), Indiana (+950) and Texas (+1000).
Still, Smart made it clear he wants none of the emotional swings that come with the spotlight.
“We don’t really get into the highs and the lows and the roller-coaster rides that you guys go on,” Smart said, speaking to media members at his press conference in Butts-Mehre Heritage Hall.
“I don’t mean that to be negative. We just try to stay as even-keel as we can and just keep getting our roster better.”
Georgia’s place in the CFP conversation is hard to miss. The Bulldogs have been ranked No. 1 in the CFP rankings 15 times, behind only Alabama’s 24. Ohio State has been No. 1 nine times, Clemson eight, Oregon six, LSU three, Mississippi State three, and Indiana, Michigan, Tennessee and Miami once each.
In Other News...
Notre Dame's Playoff Path Just Got A Lot More Favorable
The latest College Football Playoff rankings reshuffled the top of the bracket in a way that matters well beyond the usual weekly debate. Georgia moved to No. 1, Alabama and UCLA climbed as well, and Notre Dames jump from No. 11 to No. 5 after a key win gave the Irish a much cleaner path into the field. Even the ripple effects reached Indiana, which slid from a first-round bye to a lower seed and lost the chance to host a playoff game.
There was movement elsewhere, too, with the Big 12 getting a modest boost in positioning as BYU held onto a ranking spot despite a loss. Still, the conference has yet to land an at-large CFP team in the current format, which keeps the focus on how much the bracket can still change from here. For Georgia, the top-line takeaway is simple: the Bulldogs are sitting at No. 1, but the seeding picture around them is shifting fast. [Read more 🡒]
Georgias First SEC Availability Report Leaves Key Questions For Missouri
The first SEC availability report for Georgias matchup with Missouri offered an early look at how Kirby Smarts defense and depth chart are shaping up heading into the week. Defensive lineman Joshua Horton was listed as questionable, while outside linebacker Amaris Williams was ruled out, and several other Georgia players, including Ellis Robinson and Craig Dandridge, were not listed because of injuries. Smart also provided updates on Chauncey Bowens and Tyriq Green, adding another layer to a report that already hinted at some shuffling before kickoff.
Missouri has its own injury concern to monitor, with wide receiver Cayden Lee also not listed because of a knee injury. For Georgia, the report does not settle much beyond the fact that availability could remain fluid as the game approaches, especially along the defensive front and at key depth spots. The first report rarely tells the whole story, but it did make clear that both teams still have a few important questions to answer. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia Faces A New SEC Twist With Ranked Missouri Visiting
With the SEC championship game set to disappear when the College Football Playoff expands in 2027, Kirby Smart has already weighed in on one of the conferences biggest coming changes. Georgia, which is sitting atop the SEC standings, now turns its attention to a ranked Missouri team coming to Athens, a matchup that carries more than usual weight in a season where the leagues old title-game path is about to change.
Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz has made clear he has concerns about what the SEC will look like without that extra championship showcase, and his team arrives with enough talent to make the conversation feel timely. Quarterback Austin Simmons, top rusher Jamal Roberts and receiver Cayden Lee give the Tigers real offensive pieces to work with, though Lee is coming back from a knee injury and the report so far is encouraging, with no structural damage. [Read more 🡒]