Former Alabama head coach Nick Saban remains the benchmark in college football. Widely regarded as the greatest college head coach in history, he is the standard Kirby Smart is striving to match.
Saban’s seven national championships set a high bar, leaving Smart with considerable ground to cover in that regard.
However, there are other ways for Smart to approach Saban’s legacy. In fact, just last week, Smart achieved something that even Saban never managed to do.
Four straight SEC Championship game appearances
Georgia secured their spot in the 2024 SEC Championship game this past weekend following a chaotic day of upsets in the SEC. This marks their fourth consecutive appearance in the championship game, a feat Saban was never able to accomplish.
Saban only reached the SEC Championship game in three consecutive seasons, doing so once from 2014 to 2016.
In addition to this current streak, Smart and Georgia have now made the title game seven times in the last eight seasons. From 2017 to 2019, Georgia matched Saban’s record before missing the 2020 game. Since then, Georgia has surpassed anything Saban ever accomplished in this regard.
Even more impressive, Georgia achieved this in the first year of the SEC without divisions. Previously, critics argued Georgia’s dominance stemmed from the East division being weaker than the West.
By making the championship game in the inaugural year without divisions, Georgia invalidated that criticism.
Smart still has significant work ahead to rival Saban’s legacy. However, this milestone undeniably moves him closer to that conversation.
With more national championships, Smart could solidify his place alongside Saban as one of the greatest coaches in college football history.
