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Georgia Bulldogs Countdown to Kickoff: Day 2

On3 imageby:Wes Blankenship•09/01/22
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INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - JANUARY 10: Kirby Smart the head coach of the the Georgia Bulldogs against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Lucas Oil Stadium on January 10, 2022 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

The Georgia football Bulldogs are back in two days. Where did the summer go?

And when will Georgia win its second National Championship of the Kirby Smart era?

I’m not being greedy. But it’s kind of an important question.

I know that Kirby obviously wants to do it. In case you missed it, he’s all about his Dawgs being on the hunt this season.

Coincidentally or not, a dog vs. duck matchup awaits at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

White English Bulldogs are not the traditional pick out in the world of duck hunting. But don’t let the facts get in the way of a good social media post.

Whether or not Georgia vs Oregon kicks off a Dawgs repeat National Championship season or not, it will tell us a lot about Kirby Smart’s handling of the ‘reload vs rebuild’ challenge ahead

Kirby Smart coordinated Alabama‘s defense in 2009, when the Crimson Tide won its first National Championship since 1992.

The Tide’s drought didn’t last as long as Georgia’s did, obviously.

But his lessons from that season showed him what to do with that success.

Smart shared this week what it was like to win one, and then immediately get to work on making sure it wasn’t a one-hit wonder.

“I think the experiences there [at Alabama] helped me because I don’t see it that different,” Smart said.

“I think anytime you win one, you turn the page, and it’s built around the culture of your program. If your program is just built on instant gratification and wins and patting people on the back, then you’re probably going to struggle more, but it just was never about that here. It’s been about the process of how you develop players, how hard you work.”

Smart says his standard is already in place. And it has been since he took over at Georgia in 2016.

The only difference now?

That crystal football.

“It’s never been about telling guys how good they are but telling guys how good we can be. Since we’ve come back from that game, we’ve turned the page and focused. The distractions have been more outward, in terms of media and that stuff, not inward in terms of our team. They’re not thinking about last year, they realized this year is going to be done based on its own merit.”

As someone who just wanted to see Georgia win one title in my lifetime, to prove it could happen, experiencing it live in Indy was enough for me

Then again, it isn’t my job to make the Georgia Bulldogs a dynasty.

It isn’t my job to ensure Georgia football establishes itself as a powerhouse, not a flash in the pan.

I don’t know when Kirby Smart will win his next national title as the Dawgs’ head coach. The odds of a repeat appear statistically slim, regardless of this team’s talent level.

Only his 2011 and 2012 Alabama teams can say they were consensus back-to-back National Champs in the BCS era.

But the man will not stop until Georgia takes its brand to the next level, and legitimizes his vision for the program even further.

And then, if (when) it happens…

He’ll probably just get up and do it again.

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