An Alabama or a Georgia fan? We know it’s difficult to choose because these two teams hold almost equal worth in college football. With that, Georgia and Kirby Smart are gearing up for a tight game against their rivals, the Alabama Crimson Tide. But here comes a twist to this story. We all know how Smart coached under Nick Saban when he was in Alabama, and now that Saban is gone, will it be an easy win for Kirby Smart? If yes, then it solidified that he faced problems with Saban’s expertise, but if not, Kirby Smart needs to prepare how he answers that. One analyst even said that it’s a “gut-check moment for smart.” Another analyst, Joel Klatt, also raised the same question in his “X” post.

On the “Joel Klatt Show,” Klatt started his take on this rivalry by praising Kirby Smart and his coaching tenure at Georgia. “I consider Kirby Smart the best coach in college football right now. Can’t argue with his record. His record speaks for itself: two national championships, two of them coming in the last three years.” That’s an absolute truth believed by most college football experts and critics. Smart revolutionized the program after joining and has taken it to new heights.

But what Klatt highlighted late in his speech is a major concern for Smart: “Smart has dominated everybody in the sport. But the only thing that he did not do was really overtake his mentor, Nick Saban, and if you look more recently, even in the period in which Georgia has dominated the sport, won two championships, not lost a regular season game to named Alabama since Covid, that was the Dan Mullen Florida team. Like it’s the only thing that Kirby struggled with was the Nick Saban teams at Alabama.

It’s quite interesting to notice that Georgia has won all the games and remained a top program, but he has failed to achieve the same against Alabama. Moreover, Klatt put out a bigger picture about Kirby Smart and how he has a lot on his shoulders.

“He’s the best coach in college football. He could not beat Nick Saban. so if Kirby Smart were to actually a giant issue, because it goes from a Nick Saban problem that you see Smart ad to an Alabama problem that he still has. So there’s a lot of pressure on Kirby because this narrative around Kirby can almost explain away in terms of the losing to Alabama.”

Yeah, Klatt just talked about the elephant in the room. What if it’s not only a Kirby Smart vs. Nick Saban problem? What if it’s an issue that he faces against Alabama in reality? He straight-forwardly challenged Smart that if he loses to Kalen DeBoer and a Saban-less Alabama, then there’s going to be a problem. Let’s learn how Georgia is preparing to beat their bitter rivals.

Kirby Smart led Georgia’s upcoming game with Alabama

The first question this rivalry that many Bama fans would have is related to doubting the rivalry itself. Is it a rivalry when one team just has a one-sided game against their so-called rivals? The story of the last 10 games? It’s 8-2 in favor of Bama. The last game between the two sides? 27-24 to the Tide in the conference championship game. Before their 2021 win, Georgia had developed a habit of getting thrashed by Alabama.

Just imagine! Between 2007-2021, the two sides played seven times, and Georgia didn’t even win one. Home? Neutral? Away? Didn’t matter. The Bama boys just prevailed everywhere. Coming into this game, Kirby Smart is confident, but it also needs to be a consistent thrashing for Georgia to claim this so-called rivalry for themselves.

Georgia was on cloud nine, having back-to-back wins in the season. In the first week, they secured a 34-3 victory over Clemson with the major efforts of their star quarterback, Carson Beck. He threw for 250 yards and secured two touchdowns. After coming to the second week, in a game against Tennessee Tech, Georgia secured an easy 48-3 win, showcasing their polished offensive line. In that game, Kendall Milton stalls the show, throwing for 150 yards and two touchdowns.

Georgia faced a reality check against an inferior team, Kentucky, last week, although Carson Beck managed 15-24 passes for 160 yards. Kentucky fought back with the same speed, making the game intense. This resulted in a narrow 13-12 win for Georgia. After this game, Kirby Smart faced criticism, particularly because of Georgia’s poor offense.

After their last game, Alabama and Georgia both had a bye week before their matchup. Keeping in mind what Joel Klatt has to say, it becomes intriguing to see who wins the upcoming game. And how important this game is for Smart to prove his worth facing Alabama after Saban’s exit.