Kirby Smart supports the 5+11 system being pushed by the Big 12 and the ACC, as discussions for how the College Football Playoff will evolve continue.
During the SEC media days, the Georgia coach voiced his support for the 5+11 system, which would award automatic bids to the five highest-rated conference champions and leave 11 seeds for the College Football Playoff Committee to select.
Kirby Smart said he likes 5+11 playoff & 9 SEC games but is concerned about how losses are viewed re: playoff. “Two conferences are stronger than others, and if you don’t agree with that, then you probably just don’t know college football.”
— 💫🅰️♈️🆔 (@ADavidHaleJoint) July 15, 2025
When explaining his reasoning for supporting the system, Smart was direct in his opinion:
“Two conferences are stronger than others, and if you don’t agree with that, then you probably just don’t know college football.”
It goes without saying that the system would benefit the SEC and the Big Ten as the most popular and possibly most competitive conferences in the country. The at-large bids would certainly be filled mainly by programs from these leagues.
But if it were up to Kirby Smart, the preference should be for the SEC. The coach not only voiced support for the 5+11 system but believes nine out of the 11 at-large bids should go to the SEC.
Big Ten enthusiasts could easily see an injustice in this, as their conference has won the last two national titles, and got the better of the SEC during last year’s bowl season (The Big Ten led the head-to-head 5-1).

Kirby Smart addresses rumors surrounding Will Muschamp
Former Georgia player and defensive analyst Will Muschamp wasn’t included in the official roster of the Georgia Bulldogs for the SEC media days.
This led to rumours that Muschamp might be on his way out of Athens, and Kirby Smart was asked about it during the event:
“Will’s still going to be with us and helping us in some capacity. So he’s just I guess not in the media guide,” Smart said. “That didn’t come from me, so he’ll be doing some stuff with us.”
“We’re probably going to decide that at a later time,” Smart added.
Muschamp was a co-defensive coordinator for the 2022 season, when the Georgia Bulldogs had an undefeated 15-0 record and won their second straight national title. That year, they finished first nationally in rushing defense, second in red zone defense, fifth in scoring defense, and ninth in total defense.
In late 2023, he transitioned to a defensive analyst role, which allowed him to keep track of his son’s, Whit Muscahmp, career at Vanderbilt. He was usually in training with the Bulldogs during the week, but during weekends attended the Commodores’ games in Nashville.
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