Kirby Smart reacts to Georgia's loaded 2024 SEC road slate: 'It should be a gauntlet'

Georgia has been the premier college football program in the last three seasons, a stretch where the Bulldogs have taken home two national championships with an impressive 42-2 record with head coach Kirby Smart at the helm.

But this upcoming season it looks like Georgia will be challenged more than ever before, with a daunting regular season schedule ahead of them in a new look SEC. Which Smart spoke about on ESPN’s Get Up on Tuesday morning from SEC Media Days in Dallas.

“Yeah, it’s a tremendous schedule,” Smart said. “Credit to Greg Sankey for adding the additions we made to our league, it’s gonna make some fabulous TV and awesome games. Our team’s looking forward to it, we need to stay healthy.”

From a season opener against Clemson to road games against Texas and Alabama, there’s no question the Bulldogs will have to be on their a-game for the entirety of the 2024 season if they want to maintain their high level of success. Which will be predicated by success on the road and at neutral sites this season.

“It’s gonna to be a gauntlet, it always isn’t the SEC, but especially this year with the additions we have,” Smart said. “And the road schedule, I’m not real sure how we ended up with Ole Miss, and Texas, and Alabama, Kentucky all on the road. So it should be a gauntlet.”

Later when Smart officially took the podium at media days, he also opened up about how the knowledge of Georgia’s difficult schedule ahead has impacted the mindset and mentality of his team this offseason.

“Initially, I was wondering how I got that draw, but we’re not wanting to complain. We’re one to be excited,” Smart said.

“I think when you step into the shoes of a University of Georgia football player, you accept that that challenge is gonna be there. I mean, we kind of embrace that and we love it … So we’re really excited about that. I think that motivates our offseason, so that we have the right kind of approach to the offseason and you know, our guys embrace that.”

Despite their schedule being challenging, the Bulldogs are still favored by oddsmakers in the conference as the gold standard in the SEC. Leading the pack with +185 odds to win the SEC and +300 odds to win the national championship according to FanDuel. Making it fascinating to see if they can continue to live up to their high standards and explications in a challenging new look SEC and an expanded College Football Playoff.