Georgia Football: 5 reasons Bulldogs win CFB Playoff Championship

5. Kirby Smart knows Saban better than anyone

Nick Saban is 11-0 against former assistants. He’s beat all of them and most of the victories came in dominant fashion. Derek Dooley (0-3), Jim McElwain (0-3), Will Muschamp (0-2), Mark Dantonio (0-2)  and Jimbo Fisher (0-1) have all had their chance and each failed to crack Saban’s aura of invincibility.

That’s as impressive of a pro-Saban statistic as there is, but it ignores one notable factor – none of those coaches are Kirby Smart and none of those opponents were Georgia. Smart has the notable distinction of being Saban’s assistant for 10 seasons. Not two or four. 10. If anyone knows how this man ticks, it’s Smart. None of his other assistants spent half as much time working for him as Smart did.

Smart worked under Saban for a year at LSU and during his stint with the Miami Dolphins before following his mentor to Alabama in 2007. Smart served on Saban’s staff with the Crimson Tide from 2007 until he took the Georgia head coaching job following the 2015 season.

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Proximity is not a silver bullet by any means, but there’s something to be said for the old adage “keep your friends close and your enemies closer”. Smart’s insider knowledge is going to pay dividends when meets his former boss on the gridiron for the first time.