Kirby Smart’s program has squarely established itself among the marquee in the SEC, but with changing times, Paul Finebaum wonders how long the Bulldogs can maintain their status.
Georgia’s postseason slug wasn’t that concerning the first time it happned. But last season, in 2025, when an emerging program like the Ole Miss Rebels, whom they easily held off in the regular season, knocked them out of the Sugar Bowl, the postseason slump debate started feeling real.
SEC mouthpiece Paul Finebaum explains how 2026 becomes vital for Smart in proving Georgia still has it.
“The narrative is in cement,” Finebaum said on The Paul Finebaum Show. “Kirby Smart can’t seem to win the Sugar Bowl. He’s won two SECs in a row, four out of five, two National Championships sprinkled in, but there are some fans who are pretty uneasy about the last two seasons and how they’ve ended.”
Finebaum’s guest analyst Jake Trotter, however, argues that this postseason anxiety is entirely disproportionate when weighed against Georgia’s historic baseline.
From an objective perspective, treating consecutive SEC championship losses as a disappointment suggests the fanbase has essentially overblown the expectations on a rather sucessful season.
“It’s not like they had a bad year,” Trotter said. “But it wasn’t the same level of Georgia team we have seen under Kirby Smart where all right, like this is the best team in the country or one of the two best and they’re the team to beat. You never felt like that last year, at least I didn’t.”
Why Georgia Still Remains the SEC Marquee
GettyGeorgia Bulldogs head coach might be in a slump based on one postseason stat, says Paul Finebaum
Since 2022, Georgia has taken home three SEC Championship trophies in a four-year span (2022, 2024, 2025). Plus, Smart is one of the only four remaining active head coaches who has won a national championship, let alone back to back National titles in 2021 and 2022.
And even in their ‘down’ years of this recent stretch (like 2023 and 2024), Smart’s teams still posted 13-1 and 11-2 records, finishing right on the precipice of national title contention.
In the most unforgiving conference in college football, that is a staggering amount of hardware.
Even with all the accolades lining up his shelf, the very narrative suggests Smart undoubtedly faces a question mark to prove himself per the national championship standard he’s set for the Bulldogs himself.
Kirby Smart Drops in CBS Sports Coaches’ Rankings
GettyGeorgia Bulldogs head coach might be in a slump based on one postseason stat, says Paul Finebaum
Smart’s abilities as one of the top head coaches isn’t under scrutiny here. His ability to remain the untouched top head coach in the league is.
CBS Sports released their head coach rankings for the 2026 season, and Smart’s rank droped to No. 2 instead of his usual No. 1 spot for the very reason Finebaum is referring to. Postseason bottlenecks.
“He’s won two national titles, and every year his program is expected to compete for another. But last year ended on a sour note,” Tom Fornelli of CBS Sports wrote.
“The Dawgs won the SEC again but failed to win a playoff game. They have not won a playoff game since winning the national title in 2022. I don’t think that’s why Smart fell out of the No. 1 spot (it’s more about the accomplishments of the man who usurped him), but it probably played a role.”
Georgia Postseason Hurdle Looming Larger Than SEC Dominance, Says Paul Finebaum