Georgia Bulldogs football coach Kirby Smart is facing accusations that his program views the regular season, particularly non-conference play, as an NFL regular season. That rationale explained UGA’s unimpressive, non-spread covering win over the Austin Peay Governors in Week 2.
ESPN’s Bill Connelly described Smart’s thinking during a Week 3 assessment that left it ambiguous whether he thinks No. 6 Georgia will defeat the No. 15 Tennessee Volunteers on Rocky Top this Saturday.
“Georgia sleepwalked through a 28-6 win over Austin Peay last week on a disjointed, stormy afternoon in Athens. The Bulldogs had more turnovers (two) than 20-yard gains (one), and while APSU looks like an awfully strong FCS team, this was still one of Georgia's most flawed performances in quite a while,” Connelly wrote.
“Does that matter? Georgia basically treats the season like an NFL regular season, knowing it's talented enough to avoid any real missteps and aiming to peak in December. If the Dawgs flip the switch and roll over Tennessee, it won't surprise a single soul in Neyland Stadium. They've won eight straight in the series, after all, and have won in their past four trips to Knoxville by an average of 41-10.”
Conference championship games mean less in a 12-team College Football Playoff format, and even act as a deterrent in a sense.
None of the conference champions made the semifinal round. Two of the conference championship game runner-ups did, though. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish don’t even have a conference and made the national championship game.
UGA treating the regular season as an established NFL contender wouldn’t break any laws and doesn’t warrant any action from the NCAA. Bettors should be advised during unimportant non-conference games.
And be worried that the lack of intensity translates to important conference rivalry games.