Kirby Smart doesn't expect Alabama matchups to change with Kalen DeBoer replacing Nick Saban

Alabama and Georgia have bigger SEC rivalries to worry about than each other. Both share a dislike for Auburn, while the Third Saturday in October is loved by Crimson Tide fans and the Florida game is circled every year in Athens. But over the years in the SEC, there has not been a matchup with a more consistent big-time feeling than Alabama-Georgia.

The chess match of Kirby Smart facing off against Nick Saban certainly played a part. However, Saban is no longer at Alabama and is instead a member of the media. Kalen DeBoer has taken over and personally went further than either Alabama or Georgia last season.

So, the standard in Tuscaloosa is going to remain incredibly high. Smart does not believe Saban’s absence will change the feeling we all get when the two programs face each other.

“I don’t expect them to change,” Smart said Tuesday at SEC Media Days. “That is two great universities. You’re talking about two teams that have been at the forefront of college football, and it’s probably going to be that way for a long time. Both great universities, both committed.

“The commitment to excellence at both places is really high. The standard that coach created there at Alabama and the standard we’ve created, those two are going to be matching up for a long time, and I think that’s what is great about college athletics.”

Usually, when Alabama and Georgia line up across from one another, it’s in some kind of postseason environment. Most likely the SEC Championship game but the two are even at one apiece in national championship games. Smart raised the program’s first title since 1980 back in January 2022 while Tua Tagovailoa walked things off in Atlanta in January 2018.

A rare regular season matchup will be the first head-to-head between DeBoer and Smart, though. Sept. 28 at Bryant-Denny Stadium where the entire college football world will likely be watching. Georgia has not won in Tuscaloosa since Saban’s first year, 2007.

Smart fully expects the Alabama crowd to still be up for the game. Saban will be outside as an analyst for ESPN College GameDay while DeBoer will be the one on the sideline trying to win the game. It would be quite the way to win your first-ever SEC game.

Sure, things will feel quite different without Saban but Smart knows the ultimate goal for Alabama and Georgia remains the same.