Kirby Smart is set for another rematch

There may not be a college football coach who enjoys rematches more than Kirby Smart.

Over the course of 10 years, Smart’s teams have played four teams twice in a season. In fact, just a few weeks ago Georgia faced Alabama for the second time this season in the SEC Championship. 

In rematch games, Smart is 4-0, with three wins coming after a loss. The second go-around has seen a margin of victory at an average of 15 points. 

Here are the four prior times Smart has faced rematches in his tenure:

2017: 40-17 loss to Auburn (regular season), 28-7 win over Auburn (SEC Championship)

2021: 41-24 loss to Alabama (SEC Championship), 33-18 win over Alabama (College Football Playoff National Championship)

2024: 30-15 win over Texas (regular season), 22-19 win over Texas in overtime (SEC Championship)

2025: 24-21 loss to Alabama (regular season), 28-7 win over Alabama (SEC Championship)

That brings us to Thursday’s Sugar Bowl rematch against Ole Miss. Earlier this season against the Rebels, Georgia trailed by nine in the fourth quarter before scoring 17 unanswered points en route to a 43-35 victory in Athens. On the field, the Rebels haven’t changed much since that game. Even their first-round victory against Tulane (a 41-10 win) mimicked the first meeting between the teams (a 45-10 victory). The only difference, a key one mind you, is that Pete Golding is now the head coach instead of Lane Kiffin. While Charlie Weis Jr. is calling plays, Kiffin’s absence could be a major factor in New Orleans. 

For three quarters against Ole Miss, Georgia’s defense had reached rock bottom. Nothing clicked, nothing worked. Trinidad Chambliss looked like he was on cruise control at a middle school 7-on-7 camp. In the fourth quarter, however, the Bulldogs woke up defensively and have steadily improved since. This is not the same Georgia team that took the field against Ole Miss in October. The Bulldogs will hope this upward trajectory and Smart’s success in rematches will propel the program to the College Football Playoff semifinals. 

Of course, the Rebels have plenty of motivation to make Kiffin look foolish for bailing on them. If you’re an Ole Miss player, you’re pissed that Kiffin left for a conference rival, as if LSU has something Ole Miss doesn’t. (Well, it does, but that’s beside the point.)

There’s also that thought in the back of your mind, wondering when regression to the mean will occur. Smart has been successful in rematches but that unbeaten streak can only go for so long. In this sport, nothing lasts forever. 

As it stands for now, you have to like that Smart’s Bulldogs not only have a rematch opportunity, but one against an opponent that hasn’t improved considerably since they last met. This game has a familiar vibe to the SEC Championship, when Georgia looked significantly better than Alabama compared to when they first played. 

Of course, appearances aren’t everything. Both teams still have to line up and face each other in a storied venue with everything on the line. 

But you can bet Georgia will do everything in its power to have Smart leave the Big Easy 5-0 in rematches.