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ATLANTA – Kirby Smart stood on stage bathed in glory, while his players celebrated an SEC championship, but even in this moment marked for celebration, Georgia’s coach set his sights on a new adversary.
When Smart gets on a warpath, he spares no one.
Even if that someone is college sports’ most powerful figure, the SEC’s commissioner, standing just a few feet away from Smart.
Smart roasted Greg Sankey after Georgia’s 22-19 overtime win Saturday against Texas in the SEC championship game.
Georgia’s victory unlocked a first-round playoff bye. When ESPN’s Laura Rutledge asked Smart during an on-field interview what that bye means, Smart sharpened his tongue.
“It means rest for a team that Greg Sankey and his staff sent on the road, all year long. We get to take a little bit of a break and get ready for the College Football Playoff,” Smart said. “This team needs some rest.”
Georgia fans cheered Smart’s acerbic jab at the SEC’s boss, while a grim-faced Sankey listened.
Fun though it might be to come after “the man,” when you unpack Smart’s comment, you realize how zany it sounds.
Georgia played exactly four true road games all season. One of those came against Kentucky, the SEC’s second-worst team.
The Bulldogs also played neutral-site games against Clemson and Florida, but neither Sankey nor his staff determined the location of those games.
Why Kirby Smart came after SEC’s Greg Sankey
So, what’s Smart miffed about? Probably, that Georgia drew road games against Texas, Alabama and Mississippi, all of which are ranked in the top 15 of the latest CFP rankings.
Three stiff road tests. Georgia lost two and won one.
Undeniably, Georgia’s schedule qualifies as one of the nation’s toughest, but it compares to the schedules faced by Florida, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Mississippi State, LSU and Vanderbilt.
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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/kirby-smart-roasts-greg-sankey-130138505.html
Author : USA TODAY Sports
Publish date : 2024-12-08 13:01:00
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