MIRAMAR BEACH, Fla. — Kirby Smart didn’t mince words when discussing this preferences and questions about the football postseason while appearing at the SEC Spring Meetings on Tuesday.
Smart, who has led Georgia to five consecutive appearances in the SEC championship games — including wins in the past two — said there’s value to that game, but he also questions its place in a landscape that will now feature nine SEC regular-season games and a playoff field of 12 teams (or more) moving forward.
“I love the SEC championship game — I’ve been a big fan of that,” said Smart, who has previously said there might not be a place for the game should the CFP field expand beyond 12 teams.
“(But) Is it the revenue stream that we’re having to fund our athletic programs with — that we need … ?“ Smart said. “Is it (part of) the calendar that we need to shrink so we’re not playing a (national) championship game in late January? I don’t think that’s great for student-athletes. I don’t think it’s great for the transfer portal to be ending the season that late.
“If that championship game is in the way of that, or gets put on the back burner because of that, I think you’d have to accept it,” Smart said. “I’m really more worried about the financial burden that we’re under right now of paying for all of the athletic department.
“When you take that (SEC championship game) revenue stream out, can we make it work? Is it sustainable to do without it would be my biggest concern.”
The SEC is contracted to play the SEC championship game through 2031, with league commissioner Greg Sankey saying on Monday night the SEC is “pretty committed” to continuing to play it.
Smart’s Georgia football teams have received first-round CFP byes the past two seasons after winning the SEC championship game — something the Bulldogs head coach said he’d rather do without.
“I am a big fan of continuing the season in continual motion, meaning taking out the long break,” said Smart, whose UGA team beat Alabama 28-7 in the SEC title game on Dec. 6 and didn’t play again until losing in the CFP Sugar Bowl quarterfinal on Jan. 1.
“I don’t think football is played to have a 24-, 27-day break … it’s not a matter of my independent want or need or success. It’s about what’s best, and football is not meant to be played in a month gap,” he said.
“There’s no real competitive sport that I can find anywhere where you take a month off and then continue. That’s just unusual.”
Smart suggested eliminating playoff byes could go toward “solving” the football calendar, along with moving the start of the season up to what’s now referred as “Week 0,” the Saturday before Labor Day.
“Getting a calendar where (football) plays throughout,” Smart said, “I think plays to everybody’s favor, including the student-athletes.”
Smart indicated his take on the pending expansion of the College Football Playoff field — it’s currently at 12 teams and will remain at that number unless the SEC and Big Ten reach an agreement — is a matter of what’s best for student athletes.
“I really don’t know … what’s your driving factor? Is it totally revenue? Is it TV? Is it the student-athletes that are playing forever? What is your main purpose?” Smart said, sharing the complexities of the issue.
“I do agree with commissioner Sankey that we’re not a tournament sport. That’s really not what we are. You can say, well, what about the old I-AA? What about high school playoffs? Theirs are different now. They don’t play as many games as we do in a regular season. So it’s really what’s your driving force, because it could be monetary at the moment we’re in right now, because I’m not for cutting sports.”
Smart reiterated his stance that he supports college football doing what’s needed to support nonrevenue sports in the current athletic department model.
“’I’m not for hurting other college athletic programs and seeing them dwindle,” Smart said. “I think way too many student-athletes get opportunities in college because of the, let’s call them Olympic sports or nonrevenue sports, and if we have to be the catalyst for that because of the finances, then let’s do it.”
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