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There’s a new villain for motivational virtuoso and Bainbridge’s own Kirby Smart: SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey. 

During an on-field interview with ESPN’s Laura Rutledge, Smart was asked precisely what the bye in the first inauguration of the 12-Team College Football Playoff means. 

“It means rest for a team that Greg Sankey and his staff sent on the road all year long,” Smart said. “This team needs some rest.” 

The Georgia Bulldogs won 22-19 in overtime against the Texas Longhorns at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Backup quarterback Gunner Stockton stepped in for the injured Carson Beck in the second half, securing the SEC Championship and an automatic first-round bye.

It’s a fitting way to put an exclamation point on the regular season. The same season that saw the Bulldogs play four true road games against three Top-15 ranked opponents Texas, Alabama, and Ole Miss, where the Bulldogs’ combined record was 1-2. However, Texas, Alabama, and Ole Miss must travel to Athens in 2025.

Isn’t this a blessing in disguise for Kirby and the Bulldogs’? No team in the country is more battle-tested than the Georgia Bulldogs’ and has more wins against playoff-bound teams. 

This Bulldogs’ roster just happened to accomplish a feat never done before in the Smart era. 

That’s winning back-to-back overtime games! The exhilarating eight-overtime victory against Georgia Tech was a defining moment for the Bulldogs’ football season. They’ve faced tough challenges, like the early season game against Kentucky where they were out-snapped 73-54 and out-rushed 170-102. However, during crunch time, the Bulldogs answer the call and remain composed under pressure.

According to ESPN Senior Writer Mark Schalabach, “It was the first time the Bulldogs overcame a deficit of 17 points or more since 2006. It was only the second time in the past 20 seasons that they rallied from a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter.”

“I’ve had more physically tough (teams, and) I’ve had more physically talented,” Smart said in his SEC Championship postgame press conference, “but I don’t know that I’ve ever had a more mentally tough team.

“They just keep coming and keep coming, and they never say die.”

These “never-say-die” Bulldogs will host the winner in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1 of the First Round Playoff matchup between Curt Cignetti’s Indiana Hoosiers and Marcus Freeman’s Notre Dame Irish. 

During Smart’s tenure, the Bulldogs have defeated the Fighting Irish twice as part of a home-and-home series. 

Once in 2017 in South Bend (20-19) and then in 2019 (23-17) in Athens. 

If the Bulldogs are going to win a third College Football National Title in four years, it’ll likely be without Senior quarterback Carson Beck. 

Georgia released a statement regarding Beck’s injury, identifying it as an elbow issue. He and his family are exploring treatment options, and there is no timetable for his return. 

Smart has dealt with this a handful of times as a quarterback. In 2017, he named Jacob Eason as the starting quarterback. However, after Eason suffered a knee injury in the opening game, Jake Fromm secured the role. Fromm’s impressive performance as a starter led the team to a National Championship appearance during his three-year tenure.

In 2021, Smart named JT Daniels as Georgia’s starting quarterback. However, an abundance of injuries led Smart to switch to Stetson Bennett, who ultimately guided the team to win back-to-back national championships.

Three years later, Smart is in a parallel situation with Beck and Stockton. This time, it’s during the most critical month of the college football schedule.