Jim Harbaugh, Michigan Out to Beat Kirby Smart, UGA Football
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ATHENS - Here comes Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh - coming to get Kirby Smart and UGA football.
We saw what happened the last time these two got together - and it wasn’t pretty. If you missed it, Harbaugh has added a so-called "Beat Georgia” period during practices for the Wolverines.
There has been no status update on the the “Beat TCU” part of practice.
Harbaugh and Michigan already have a “Beat Ohio State” section of practice while in pads, so this isn’t new. I guess it stands to reason that Michigan would couple the Dawgs with Ohio State in this manner. Perhaps this is aspirational - actually, it is quite obviously aspirational as is relates to Georgia.
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No one in college football has had a better run than the Dawgs of late. The program has won the last two national titles, played in half of the last six CFP National Championship Games and is burning up the NFL Draft.
The Dawgs are hitting on all cylinders, and according to FanDuel, they have outstanding +220 odds to win a third-consecutive championship next fall.
That’s not by accident. It is by choice. There are a few problems about moves like Harbaugh’s. Everyone knows who the best program in the country is right now. But Michigan won’t play the Dawgs - if they even do - until December. There’s so much to focus on before the season and during the season.
Why focus on any one school? Georgia Tech does this (Tech doesn’t even capitalize the “G” in Georgia when referring to UGA 🧐). The Jackets are so obsessed with Georgia that it is in their fight song - not a made up lyric by students and fans… the actual fight song. It isn’t a good way to be.
Michigan’s focus on Ohio State and now the Dawgs leaves out Penn State, Michigan State and the rest of the foes on their 12-game schedule. To be clear, Harbaugh has lost one regular season game in two seasons. He’s doing OK. But is Georgia this important?
Outside of Georgia, you could certainly make the case that Michigan has been the best program in college football. But when you are preparing to “Beat Ohio State” and “Beat Georgia” you are subtly looking past everyone else. I can assure you that Penn State can beat Michigan. Michigan State can, too.
TCU made certain to do so before getting trucked by the Dawgs at SoFi.
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Kirby Smart was right when he told his team:
“We're not practicing to beat somebody… We’re practicing to beat everybody.”
That was after the win over South Carolina in Athens in early 2021. Since he said that Georgia literally has beaten everyone they’ve played. Consider that Georgia has beaten every team that’s played for the College Football Playoff National Championship Game since that event started.
Not beat them in history - beaten them in the last 30 games (No. 5 UGA 10, No. 3 Clemson 3; No. 3 UGA 33, No. 1 Alabama 18; No. 3 UGA 49, No. 11 Oregon 3; No. 1 UGA 50, No. 14 LSU 30; No. 1 UGA 42, No. 4 Ohio State 41; No. 1 UGA 65, No. 3 TCU 7).
It isn’t wrong to say that you want to be the best. There is nothing wrong with that. That’s the point. But putting in a “Beat Georgia” period in practice… its going to lead to needless chirping in the offseason.
As good a job as Harbaugh has done, sometimes he’s a little too cute. This is a good example of that. Will this work? He’d better hope so.