Kirby Smart previews Mississippi State crowd, compares SEC environments to NFL

Road wins over Mississippi State and Kentucky are all that stand in the way between Georgia and another SEC title game berth. This week, they head to Starkville, where 50,000 cowbells will serenade the field as the Dawgs attempt to stay undefeated. Few rowdier environments exist in the SEC, or in college football.

The trip to face the SEC’s other Bulldogs is a rare one for Georgia, who sees the SEC West foe every once every five years. So very few, if any, of the current UGA players have experienced the cowbell ensemble in the Mississippi State stands.

Kirby Smart considers the cowbells a “huge competitive advantage,” but respects the tradition of it. After all, those sort of longstanding rituals are why SEC crowds and environments are simply the best in sports. He spoke at length this week on that point, explaining that SEC football environments are the best in the sport, even better than the NFL.

Check it out (you can also read his full quotes below).

Kirby Smart praises SEC environments

“It’s why there’s a home and away and it’s why I always say in the SEC it’s greater than NFL, other than the playoffs. Because the environment is not the same in any conference at the Division I level of football as it is in the SEC when you play on the road.

“And I’ve been in this conference for 20-something years and I’ve seen it. I know what it does in terms of the effect it has on pass rush, the effect it has on momentum. And it’s something you really can’t measure. So you have to prepare the right way, and it’s a firm reason why I believe in practical crowd noise throughout the year, because both sides of the ball need it.

“I mean, they’re passionate, you know. I can’t say that it’s unique, because every SEC school is that way, I feel. There at Missouri it was loud and passionate. I do think there’s a feeling historical because it’s a rural community that that everybody comes from afar and everybody’s sold out and in love with their football team. That’s what they have to hang their hat on. Their pride in which is usually indicative of all SEC schools, but especially there.”