ATHENS — Georgia and Florida State don’t meet on the football field for another three weeks, but Kirby Smart is making sure to keep his program running strong.
The No. 6-ranked Bulldogs are a two-touchdown favorite over the No. 5-ranked Seminoles in the 4 p.m. game on Dec. 30 in Miami Gardens, Fla., but they are also battling Florida State and the field on the recruiting trail.
Georgia has the No. 1-ranked 2024 class of commits, per 247Sports, and the Bulldogs are far from finished with the transfer portal filling up and opening up opportunities.
Smart is selling results, Georgia having produced 34 NFL picks over the past three seasons while winning 41 of 43 football games competing in a league that towers above all others.
The ACC is struggling, having seen an undefeated team left out of the top four CFP slots for the first time in history.
Undefeated Michigan (Big Ten) and Washington (Pac-12) took the No. 1 and No. 2 slots before one-loss Texas (Big 12) and one-loss Alabama (SEC) took the No. 3 and No. 4 positions.
The Longhorns, of course, will be joining the SEC next season. In fact, next year’s SEC took seven of the top 13 spots, while Florida State was the lone ACC team among the top 14.
With that level of competition, it’s no wonder Smart isn’t wasting any time working on his next national championship.
It won’t happen in the Orange Bowl, but it will come down to the recruiting trail, where the best players will seek out opportunities to play and develop against the best competition.
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