Georgia’s recent results would satisfy almost any program.
Kirby Smart, however, is not interested in measuring the Bulldogs solely by their consecutive SEC championships.
Georgia has followed both titles with losses in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals, leaving Smart focused on producing better performances once the stakes rise beyond the conference championship game.
“We’ve got to find a way to, whether we win the SEC or not, to get into that playoff and play better and play bigger in bigger moments,” Smart told ESPN Tuesday at SEC Media Days in Tampa, Fla.
Smart also said Georgia has not played its best football when it was needed most. The Bulldogs lost 23-10 to Notre Dame in the playoffs two seasons ago before falling 39-34 against Ole Miss last year.
To reinforce his message, Smart analyzed the 2025 NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder and the selflessness that enabled individual players to succeed within defined roles. He aims for Georgia to find similar success while continuing to adapt rather than relying on the approach that led to previous championships.
“We study successful programs all the time. If you’re not studying how other people are doing it and you’re just fixated on your own team and your own roster, I think you’re missing out,” Smart said. “We’re always trying to grow in our program. We don’t want to stay the same.”
–Golesh gets started with Auburn rebuild
Alex Golesh understands that rebuilding Auburn will eventually be measured in victories, championships and appearances on college football’s national stage.
For now, the Tigers’ first-year coach is focused on shaping what the program should be like before counting wins in his first season.
“I don’t really have any goals, other than laying a foundation for what Auburn football is going to be for years to come,” Golesh said. “If we can leave year one and we have a foundation that’s built on our identity I would tell you it’s a successful year one.”
That foundation will be built on the identity Golesh established during three seasons at South Florida: physical and mentally tough, detail-oriented and increasingly driven by the players rather than the coaching staff.
“That’s what Auburn football was built on, physical and mental toughness,” Golesh said. “The ability to be the most violent football team on the field every Saturday. Violent. I think that’s something you can watch and see.”
Golesh is Auburn’s fourth head coach since 2019 and inherits a program that has endured six consecutive seasons without winning more than six games. The Tigers’ last double-digit-win season came in 2017, when they reached the SEC championship game.
Quarterback Byrum Brown is among 13 South Florida transfers who followed Golesh to Auburn. Brown passed for 3,158 yards and 28 touchdowns last season while adding 1,008 yards and 14 scores on the ground, giving the Tigers an experienced operator for Golesh’s fast-paced offense.
Golesh acknowledged the urgency surrounding the job but believes the current roster is talented enough to compete immediately. Auburn opens the season Sept. 5 against Baylor in Atlanta.
–Vanderbilt refuses to call 10 wins an arrival
Vanderbilt is dealing with an unfamiliar offseason problem: ensuring unprecedented success does not breed complacency.
The Commodores recorded the first 10-win season in program history last fall, finishing 10-3 after winning six SEC games. They must now replace quarterback Diego Pavia, the Heisman Trophy runner-up and central figure in their rise.
Head coach Clark Lea still believes the program has evolved in ways that go beyond just one quarterback or a single breakthrough season.
“Progress is not the destination. Last season was not an arrival,” Lea said. “It was simply another step in the climb.”
Lea added that the current roster inherited an expectation to win that his earlier Vanderbilt teams did not have.
“With that inheritance comes standard over excuses, responsibility over entitlement, commitment over convenience,” Lea said. “That inheritance gives us a foundation, but our story still must be earned because this team has yet to win a game. That’s the gift of every season. A new beginning, a blank canvas
The Commodores will continue emphasizing a physical running game, though the carries previously handled by Pavia will be distributed more heavily among their running backs. Lea said Vanderbilt cannot duplicate Pavia’s unique impact, but expects new leaders to emerge from players who previously worked outside the spotlight.
