Kirby Smart Doesn’t Expect Alabama Matchups to Change

Alabama and Georgia have been must-see TV for the college football world ever since the Bulldogs hired away the protégé of Nick Saban: Kirby Smart. Smart and Saban made up the best defensive duo in college football until 2016 when Smart was called home to Athens.

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Ever since, every matchup between Georgia and Alabama has been primetime television with the stakes as high as ever. Alabama and Georgia have beaten one another for a national championship, and Alabama has beaten Georgia for three SEC championships since Smart accepted the Georgia job, with Alabama also notching a regular season win in 2020 over Georgia.

The student is now the master. With Nick Saban's retirement in January, Kirby Smart is now the top coach in college football. He's had Georgia playing like Superman, and Alabama was the kryptonite.

September's matchup between the Crimson Tide and the Bulldogs will look a little different on the sidelines with the clash of titans. Kalen DeBoer is one of the top offensive minds in college football, while Kirby Smart is likely the top defensive mind in college football.

Kirby Smart doesn't expect those games to change much.

"That's two great universities," Smart said Tuesday at SEC Media Days in Dallas. "Both committed, the commitment to excellence at both places is really high."

I don't expect it to change," Smart said. "You're talking about two teams that have been at the forefront of college football. It's probably gonna be that way for a long time ... The standard that Coach created there at Alabama, the standard we've created. Those two are gonna be matching up for a long time, and I think it's what's great about college athletics."

Alabama will take the podium at SEC Media Days in Dallas, Texas on Wednesday, July 17, at 9:00 a.m. CT.

Alabama and Georgia will match up in Bryant-Denny Stadium on Sept. 28.

Wyatt Fulton is the TIde 100.9 DME and Brand Manager, primarily covering Alabama Crimson Tide football and men's basketball. For more Crimson Tide coverage, follow Wyatt on X (Formerly known as Twitter) at @FultonW_.