Han Vance on Georgia football:
Brief look at modern UGA squads with 11-1 records and how they fared:
- 2018 – 11-1 (to-date. Rank: TBD). Georgia’s 7th SEC championship game, where the Dawgs are 3-3 all-time and 0-1 versus Alabama.
- 2017 – 13-2 final record. Ranked #2. Won 13th SEC title over Auburn; won Rose Bowl over Oklahoma; lost national championship game in Atlanta to Alabama.
- 2012 – 12-2 final record. Ranked #4/#5. Lost SEC championship game to Bama; won Capital One/Citrus Bowl over Nebraska.
- 2002 – 13-1 final record. Ranked #3. Won school’s first SEC championship game over Arkansas; won Sugar Bowl over Florida State.
- 1982 – 11-1 final record. Ranked #5. Lost national championship game in Sugar Bowl to Penn State for only loss of season. Georgia had been 10-2 in ’81 and 12-0 in ’80.
For the first time in school history, Georgia reached 11-1 in consecutive seasons. A major accomplishment for head coach Kirby Smart in its own right, adding to his school record winning percentage (75%) and status as the first UGA coach to reach and win a game in the new College Football Playoff. Smart can match predecessor Mark Richt (74% winner overall) in SEC championships by winning a second league crown in just his third year as a head football coach.
His defending SEC champions battle the Alabama Crimson Tide on December 1st at 4:00 p.m. in Mercedes-Benz Stadium, in Atlanta. Alabama has the most SEC titles with 24; Georgia can move into sole possession of 2nd in total SEC championships by breaking a current tie with Tennessee and claiming a 14th SEC title. Were Georgia to win the College Football Playoff, it would be the first school national champions to start 11-1 and win it all since the 1942 team finished 11-1. After the war, the 1946 team went 11-0 but were not recognized as national champs.