Kirby Smart explains why his 2024 football team can handle a tougher schedule (2024)

Just about everyone has taken notice of Georgia’s more difficult schedule in 2024.

With road games against Alabama, Texas, Ole Miss and Kentucky, Georgia has one of the more challenging schedules in the country. In a recent ESPN article, David Hale had Georgia playing in three of the 10 biggest games of the season.

Yet Georgia, perhaps better than anyone, is positioned to handle this difficult schedule.

“We’ve got a good football team. We’ve got a very consistent football team. We say it all the time, we’re built to sustain at Georgia,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said in a recent interview with Paul Finebaum. “We don’t want to be a one-hit wonder. I think we’re going to have a good football team next year. I don’t know how good and I don’t know how we’ll play in some really tough road games. We’ll see where it falls.”

The Bulldogs open the 2024 season against Clemson on Aug. 31. The game will start at noon ET, but that shouldn’t distract from what should be a marquee non-conference game to start the 2024 season.

Georgia will have just one home game prior to October, as the Bulldogs have early season trips to Kentucky and Alabama.

The latter game offers Georgia a chance to avenge its lone loss from the 2023 season. Georgia ended up missing the College Football Playoff because of its 27-24 loss to Alabama in the SEC championship game.

As damaging as that game was to last season’s team, Smart believes the result has had a positive impact on how this team is preparing for the upcoming season.

“I think it’s different every year. You have a different team,” Smart said. “I’m trying to figure out exactly what this team needs. This team has been a little bit hungrier in spring ball because they didn’t win it. They weren’t in the playoffs. So there is a little bit of more motivation.”

While Georgia’s schedule is certainly tougher than it has been in recent years, this season’s playoff format should be more forgiving. The sport will have a 12-team College Football Playoff starting this season. That should help a team like Georgia, which has fallen out of the playoff picture three different times after losing in the SEC championship game.

Georgia does have to replace eight NFL draft picks, while also seeing 21 scholarship players depart the program via the transfer portal. The Bulldogs signed the No. 1 recruiting class in the country and landed eight players out of the transfer portal themselves.

The Bulldogs see starters like Carson Beck and Malaki Starks return as well. Those two could very well be the top players at their respective positions this season.

It’s going to be a long season for Georgia. Smart knows it’s going to be a marathon. With the road slate being what it was, Georgia will have more than a few treacherous hills to climb.

The Bulldogs are going to be well prepared. We’re still a good ways off from the start of the season but Smart is nevertheless excited about the challenge that lies ahead for the Georgia team.

“We’re looking forward at what this team is gonna do,” Smart said. “How is this team going to play? Got a really tough schedule. I’m excited to get an opportunity to go out there and play.”