Kirby Smart questions the SEC’s nine-game schedule for the league’s playoff chances

College football is still changing as teams adjust to the new playoff format and conference realignment. Some may also have to adapt to a new schedule depending on how things develop in the coming months.

The SEC, for example, is considering possibly adding another conference game.

However, some are already beginning to fear the possible consequences. The SEC no longer has an undefeated team halfway through this regular season, putting varying degrees of threat to each competitor’s chances.

Someone gets left out when the music stops.

“There’s no question about it, and the crazy thing is that the only people you can trust and believe in in this business are Las Vegas.” Georgia trainer Kirby Smart said in an appearance on The Steakhouse on 92.9 The Game. “Because Vegas is told to play all of these teams, there is no question who will be the favorite in these games. And I guess it doesn’t matter, because each conference is expected to leave out two or three teams that should be getting in, and those two or three will have SEC teams in there. But these SEC teams, whoever it ends up being, it could be anyone because the schedules are just brutal, when you look at what’s left, it’s crazy.”

That prompted Smart to bring up the SEC schedule discussions, unprompted.

“I mean, I’m wondering about the whole nine-game discussion because I’m sitting here wondering, ‘Wait a minute, what if we had all nine games?’ “We would talk about three- and four-loss teams,” Smart said. “Because you just add another game, you’re playing against another good team and that creates the possibility of teams losing. There is so much equality in our league right now. It’s closer than ever.”

While Smart didn’t directly advocate sticking with an eight-game SEC schedule, he did suggest that the league’s playoff chances would be significantly hurt with a nine-game schedule.

He also looked a little ahead to the next few weeks to give a taste of what’s to come.

“I don’t think people will get it until about two weeks,” Smart said. “In about two more weeks, they’ll look in there and say, ‘Oh, the SEC, they’re just average.’ They have a lot of average teams.’ And I promise you, no one wants to get into this eight-game league because it’s not just the physicality that wears you down and wears you down week in and week out, but the away games and the atmosphere you go into is a touchdown sometimes -Advantage due to penalties and crowd noise. It’s just not the same. It means more.

“And I don’t respect other conferences because I think those other conferences are stronger. I mean, look at the Big Ten now. You are stronger than ever before. They have a deep, deep conference with a lot of talent. And all these conferences do it. But ask NFL scouts week after week. They’ll tell you.”