As it stands now, Georgia football coach Kirby Smart doesn’t think the elimination of the SEC Championship game from the college football schedule is necessary.
The Bulldogs coach, however, did say there is a scenario in which the SEC Championship — the first of its kind and longest-running in college football history — “probably has to go.” Smart, speaking with On3’s Chris Low, said he would be open to its elimination depending on the parameters of the College Football Playoff, which currently sits at 12 teams but could potentially expand to include more teams.
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“Where we are right now with 12 teams, I don’t necessarily agree that it needs to quit being played. But if it 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 it probably has to go,” Smart told Low on Thursday.
“The important thing is we need to gain something, meaning we’re playing that weekend in the first round of the playoff when the SEC Championship game is normally being played and playing the season out like an NFL playoff system. But if we’re going to leave it where it is now, with 12 teams in the playoff, I’m not for removing the SEC Championship game.”
Smart’s comments come after USA TODAY Sports’ Blake Toppmeyer spoke with Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne, who said “the ship has sailed” and “run its course” in regards to the conference title game.
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Byrne’s stance is one that is favored in expanding the CFP.
There’s no change set to be made to the CFP field for the 2026 season after the SEC and Big Ten could not come to terms on a playoff expansion plan. As noted by Toppmeyer, the SEC, ACC and Big 12 favored a proposal to expand the playoff to 16 teams, using a 5+11 format (five automatic qualifiers and 11 at-larges) while the Big Ten stood firm on their 24-team field idea.
The Bulldogs have had quite the success in the SEC Championship under Smart during his time in Athens. Georgia‘s win over Alabama in December gave the Bulldogs back-to-back SEC titles under Smart, and their fourth of his tenure.
“We’ve seen it both ways, but I will never apologize for winning an SEC title,” Smart continued with Low. “I think it’s the hardest thing to do in sports, winning the dang SEC title in almost any sport, because our conference is so hard. And when we went to 16 teams in our league, it only made it harder.”
This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Georgia’s Kirby Smart discusses potential elimination of SEC championship
