National media outlet just did Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs a major favor that should frighten the rest of college football

The rest of college football should be alarmed by what 247Sports accomplished for the Georgia Bulldogs this week.

When it comes to leveraging perceived or actual slights from the media to inspire his squad, Kirby Smart is the best coach in the sport. The Michael Jordan “and I took that personally” meme has a collegiate football counterpart in Smart.

This week, 247Sports identified Georgia as one of eight college football programs that could “regress” in 2025, which is likely bad news for the rest of the sport. Despite winning the SEC and making it to the College Football Playoffs, Georgia’s preseason win total from the previous season was set at 10.5 and the Bulldogs suffered two losses. After losing a few predicted first-round picks on defence and seeing Carson Beck leave for Miami via the transfer window, there is a chance that Kirby Smart’s club will finish below 9.5 this autumn. Since Georgia hasn’t dropped three games in the regular season, I believe 247Sports’ analysis is more than accurate. From the team that dropped three games last year (only the third time UGA has lost three or more games during Smart’s tenure in Athens), the Bulldogs are losing several very talented players. It’s easy to understand how Georgia’s season could be challenging when you combine the loss of talent with a challenging SEC slate.

But if I’ve learnt anything in the past eight or nine years, it’s to always have faith in Smart. In actuality, the Bulldogs are at their most dangerous when people are questioning Smart.

When you reach the pinnacle of college football, it’s difficult to stay hungry, which makes it difficult to maintain success. Perhaps the nicest thing that could have happened to Smart was that Georgia appeared to take a slight step back last season. Without a question, the Bulldogs’ “down” season—which nonetheless produced an SEC Championship—has rekindled the flames in Athens. All Smart needs to keep his team motivated during the 2025 season is a little extra encouragement from the national media. There are significant offensive concerns for a team that will face five opponents who are probably in the top 25 since Smart’s debut in 2016.