NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Kirby Smart says complacency is the biggest challenge his Georgia Bulldogs face while trying to add a third straight national football championship.
Smart and his Bulldogs also don’t have history on their side.
Winning back-to-back national championships is tough enough. No Division I program has strung together three consecutive college football titles since Minnesota in 1934-1936, even though powers ranging from Alabama, Oklahoma, Notre Dame and Nebraska have had their chances.
So Smart said Tuesday at Southeastern Conference Media Days that he and his staff have not talked with the Bulldogs about having a chance to do something not done in nearly 90 years.
“We’ve certainly looked at some three-peat scenarios of teams like the (NBA’s Chicago) Bulls and different sports teams that they might actually know about,” Smart said. “No offense to the Minnesota 1935 team, but I don’t know if it’s going to resonate with my audience.”
Smart insisted he doesn’t care about what he called a “three-peat, the two-peat or the one-peat.”
“I care about complacency,” he said. “If the focus is on that and the outcomes, I think the rest will take care of itself in terms of allowing our guys to focus on being the best they can be.”
Smart has had his hands full off the field since routing TCU in January, when Georgia made history with its first back-to-back national titles. The program’s offseason has been marred by problems including a string of reckless driving and speeding offenses.
Offensive lineman Devin Willock and recruiting staff member Chandler LeCroy were killed in a car wreck hours after the Bulldogs’ championship parade and ceremony. A woman seriously injured in the crash sued Georgia’s athletics association and former Bulldogs defensive tackle Jalen Carter last week for damages.