With the College Football Playoff essentially removing the importance of winning conference championships, it sounds like Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart would be okay not having to play in an SEC title game. However, one thing needs to happen before Smart fully jumps on board.
Smart, who is 50 years old, believes that if the CFP were to be expanded, then the conference title games can be done away with, according to Chris Low of On3 Sports. That would be especially true if the playoffs expanded to 16 or 24 teams.
“Where we are right now with 12 teams, I don't necessarily agree that [the SEC title game] needs to quit being played,” said Smart. “But if [the CFP] gets to 16 or 24 and we've got to move the end of the season up and we've got to get everything done by the second week of January, then I'd say [the SEC title game] probably has to go.”
For now, the College Football Playoff will remain at 12 teams for the 2026-27 season. However, the possibility of an expansion seems to be increasing down the road. Both the SEC and Big 10 have yet to come to a full agreement on conference scheduling, but once they do, then the NCAA may opt to expand the playoff system from 12 to 16, or even 24 teams.
That would seemingly be great news for Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs. Georgia has been one of the top teams in the SEC and college football in general since Smart was hired by Georgia in December 2015. Expansion would likely mean more trips to the postseason for this program.
