The Herd with Colin Cowherd - The Jboy Show - Can Kirby Smart get over the Alabama hump?

Episode Date: January 8, 2022

Jake and the guys discuss how much pressure Kirby Smart is under, plus debate whether or not College Football has an Alabama problem. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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I want to throw your way. I want to start, number one, by saying, what's up, Cone? What's up, Blaine? Welcome to the end of the weekend. Everybody out there on Friday. I hope you're getting ready for the pre-national championship game weekend. I've got some great college basketball being played as well. with the SEC and conference season starting.

But I want to start with Kirby Smart. You know, how much does Kirby Smart have to prove? Well, when I look at it, it's a very simple formula. This isn't a complicated issue. He's done everything outside of beat Nick Sabin and Alabama. Only problem with that is to be able to win championships, whether it's in the SEC championship, with Alabama being in another division and winning it basically every year,

and then to win a national championship with the format it is now, you just happen to have to go through Nick Sabin and Alabama. So if you're looking at this from a Harry Potter standpoint, all he has left to do is beat Voldemort, but Voldemort just keeps kicking his ass every time they line up across from each other. And, you know, the funny thing, guys, is it hasn't been where every game is, you know, Alabama just running through him from the start to the finish. I mean, Georgia's had leads, whether it's the first quarter, whether it's halftime, it's being able to finish the job.

And people now don't grade Kirby. And it's a compliment to Kirby Smart really in where Georgia is. They don't grade Georgia on where you finish in recruiting classes anymore. They don't grade Georgia on how you're doing during the regular season. They grade Kirby Smart in Georgia on how they do in championship games and against Nick Sabin and Alabama. and you have another opportunity coming up. So is this the last checkmark on the list for Kirby Smart? Yes.

What else is there after that? It's not beaten Auburn. They do it every year now, basically. It's not putting yourself in position to be in a championship. They've done that considerably. Hell, they played Alabama a couple years ago in the Natty and lost on the last play on second 26 on four birds. So when I'm looking at how we are,

going to judge Kirby Smart at the end of the day. There is only one more thing to check off. The only problem is, that's been your biggest weakness. But on the other hand, I said this yesterday, you can kill two birds with one stone here. You can beat Alabama and Nick Saban and in the national championship drought that hasn't happened since 1980. And Herschel Walker, or Buck Ballou, aren't walking through that door anytime soon. Cohn, I mean, is this the last, the last, you know, hill to climb for Kirby Smart in Georgia. I don't see how it's not. Well, of course, but listen, Kirby Smart is going to be the head football coach at the University of Georgia for a long time to come. He's going to win many more conference championships,

and I think he's going to win several national championships. Okay. So when we look back in 20 or 30 years, the Georgia fan base is going to be thrilled with his tenure. Now, I know how anxious they are. I know they're champing at the bit to go ahead and end that 40-year drought right now. Okay. But one way or another, Kirby Smart is going to be the head football coach and he's going to have a great tenure at the University of Georgia. And when he goes on to win that national championship, whether or not he goes through Nick Saban to do it, Georgia fans are going to be thrilled. They're going to forgive everything. And that's what they're going to remember about his time there.

What I will say, though, is if Kirby Smart is unable to beat Nick Saban, okay, not necessarily this go-round, but I just mean, you know, at some point, if he's unable to capture a conference title or a national title by going through his former boss, he's going to remember that for all time. Georgia fans, 20, 25, 30 years from now after he inevitably gets one of these national titles, may not remember whether or not he had to go through Nick Saban to get there. but Kirby Smart is going to know whether or not he was able to go through Yoda to get that championship. And so I think, look, Kirby, Nick Saban is not going to coach football forever at the University of Alabama. That's a positive and a negative for Kirby Smart. The positive is it's going to eventually clear up the path for him to go get a lot of these championships without having to go through the master. But the negative side of it is you're not going to get a lot more chances against this guy. And trust me, no one wants to beat the master.

or worse than Kirby Smart. That's a great point, you know, especially if Saban retires or, you know, they commingle them with the robot to run the sidelines in Tuscaloosa for, you know, till the end of time. But Blaine, if Kirby Smart does beat Nick Saban in the national temperature game, will we hear any more about this stuff with Kirby and Nick if that were to happen? No, you'll never hear it about it again. I mean, at what point, I mean, Nick Sabins has had high ground this entire time.

I mean, at what point, Kirby, are you going to try to get high ground? And you kind of go back to the games. And when they play, what gets me and what makes it hurt a little bit worse, is the way they've lost the games versus Alabama, right? I'm pretty sure they've gone up almost every time they've played up at the time. That's the SEC Championship, our national championship games. And in its second halves are usually known for what? That's when the coaching adjustments come out.

That's the adjustments you make at halftime. So the way Kirby's lost these games is the scariest thing to me because that's what's going to get remembered by the most is that you were leading. It was second in 26 and you got beat by a deep ball where a corner who didn't get a hand on them or what might have been a bus of coverage or whatever it was. But the thing about is this is at the end of the day,

Kirby, realistically, if you really want to be remembered as one of the best, you have to go through the best. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all,

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Well, we're going to find out Monday, and we know there's going to be a lot of storylines with this Kirby and Nick Saban, the OB-1, you know, and the disciple, the Yoda and R2D2. You can go down any analogy, Star Wars Harry Potter, you want to see. It is the climactic battle of two of the top guys in the sports right now, are in the college football world right now. we're going to see what happens here on Monday. And sticking with the Alabama and Georgia theme, a lot of people say, and I've talked about expanding the playoff to help recruiting parity, we've talked about that, how it will help the opt-outs.

But a lot of people ask, is Alabama good for college football? Is Nick Sabin and this dominance good for college football? Now, I think you've got to be able to look at it through different prisms, through the prism of, you know, attracting the most eyes and doing this or the other, having the same team dominate all the time typically doesn't lend toward that. But on the other hand, having somebody that shows you where the standard is, that shows you that the pinnacle can be achieved, not only that, but how to do it. And people would say, oh, well, Nick Saban's bad for college football.

Look at his coaching tree. Look at how many unbelievable coaches. We just looked at the playoff, you know, that are the top four teams in the country at a certain point. The teams are projected to go in the playoffs. We're all Nick Saban disciples. He's given back to the game through how he's taught guys to do it, giving them the blueprint, showing them that it can be done if you're the best,

and you can have the blueprint and it not work. We've seen that. It's not like every coach that Nick Saban's ever sprouted has gone and had unbelievable success. A lot of them have had great success, but Nick Saban's still sitting on top of the tree. So in one hand, you can say, oh, well, the monopoly and the dominance is bad,

and from a rating standpoint, this, that, and the other. But if you're in the business and you're in the industry, number one, you've seen there as a path. You've seen there as a way, even in today's college football, even when college football changing in the landscape, continuing to change, that you can dominate, and this is how to do it. The question is, a lot of people can give you the recipe

for the best cake you've ever had, but can you bake it the right way? And there's not really an answer, of, well, I'm going to do it just like Nick Saban. Well, you're not Nick Saban. The key is being able to take that information, blend it in with how you want to do things that is truly yourself, and then putting it out and seeing how it works. But to sit here and say, oh, Nick Saban is bad for college football and this, I don't buy into that. I think it shows people how they have to raise their standard. It shows people what you can achieve if you continue to follow the process

and the success and you have the ability. It's not just about having the capability. It's about having the ability. Not everybody can be the best businessman in the world. Not everybody can be the best CEO in the world. Not everybody can be the best chef in the world. But there's always a guy that is or a girl that is. Nick Saban just happens to be that.

Cohn, I mean, do you think that the Alabama dynasty and dominance we've seen is bad for college football or are you looking at it through different prisons like I am? No, I agree. I agree with you, Jake. Look, I get it. People are tired of seeing Nick Saban-led football teams win, okay? But this is just the current state of our game. And one thing that they can find solace in is knowing that we will not see this level of dominance again. I truly feel confident in that. So this is just the current state that we have to get through. Now, I think that you made an unbelievable point, and I want to make sure that it resonates with people. It is never a, hey, bad thing whenever someone as talented as Nick Saban dedicates themselves so completely to a craft. Okay. And I want to make sure people understand that. Like you said, he's given so much to college football. I get it. Okay. We're tired of seeing his teams win, but that's just the byproduct of watching such a talented individual take himself and his crap so seriously. I heard the joke one time that Nick Saban didn't even realize he lived on a lake in Tuscaloosa for 10 years because he was up and out the door for work before the sun would rise.

You know, I mean, it's just so true. I mean, it fits with his personality. Look, he works so hard, everything that he has achieved, he has earned. And I love your point on the assistant coaches. He's given back to the game every single year. This guy is having to replace almost his whole coaching staff because those coaches who work for him go out into the ether and then try and build their own programs. And look, we're seeing the byproduct that here in a national championship with Kirby Smart and the unbelievable job he's been able to do with Georgia. So again, I will reiterate.

I know we're tired of seeing the Nick Saban-led dominance, but we will not continue to see this level of dominance moving forward in our sport. And look, things are going to change. I think there's going to be playoff expansion. We're going to see other things, you know, pop their head up and having to deal with like NIL and things like that. But just understand, you know, don't overlook the greatness when you're able to. to actually watch it in person. Yeah. And Blaine, I'm going to kick you to you and get your thoughts, but there's a quote from Jay-Z I always think about when it comes to Nick Saven.

You know, I made more millionaires than the lotto did. So Blaine, I'll let you take it from there. Yeah, great quote by Jay-Z right there, one of the real ones. Well, I think every sport needs its goat, right? Every sports needs its goat, golf, Tiger Woods, basketball, Michael Jordan, NFL, Tom Brady. We're humans. We need something to chase. We need greatness to chase to beat. And Nick Saban is the goat of college football. So even after you retire, people are still talking about Jordan. Compared Jordan to this, Jordan to that. Well, it's going to get to the point where everyone's still like they're doing right now chasing Nick Saban. And I don't think it's bad for football because we see what you can build, what one person realistically can build. And that is a dynasty, an absolute dynasty.

And it's all new. It's all going to be unknown. One day, Nick Saban has to retire. Maybe. Who knows? We'll see. But at the end of the day, I don't think it's a problem because I think people need someone to chase. And I feel like almost every sport needs its goat. Yeah, Nick Saban is the goat. I don't think that can be argued. I mean, you know, the real question is you look at the NFL. And I always like this argument. People say, was it more Tom Brady? Was it more Bill Belichick? You don't hear that with Nick Saban. I watched Nick. I watch Nick. Saban win it with Blake Sims and Jacob Joker. Like that's the one thing about college football. You're not rolling with the same guy, you know, like in the NBA at point guard for 10 years or in the NFL at quarterback for 10 years. You got, oh, he's starting, let's just re-sign him. You came back, wait, Cam Newton.

Let's just re-sign them. Now, with NIL, it's kind of getting crazier, but to me, that's why it's harder to win consecutively consecutively over the long term in college football than it is in the NFL. There's a lot more moving parts. You're really responsible for a ton more. Recruiting and drafting, even though right now I think you could say Nick David and then really draft players. They don't really recruit them anymore.

They say, hey, do you want to come play for us? And like, you know, the first five charts like, yes, I do. A hundred percent. Do what? I said Tom did win it with the buck. So the whole Belich, Tom. Oh, I know, but I'm just talking about being able to sit here and say, all right, well, I'm this head coach and I had this quarterback for 13 years, and we just wrote it out and built everything around them. You got pieces in place. Now in college, every three years or like in Cam Newton's case, you got one year. Congratulations, Gene Chiswick. You're gone two years later. Oh, you got Joe Burrow for one year. Congrats, Ed Orgeron. Congrats. Yeah, and it's gone. So, you know what I think? Jake, when we talk about, Jake, when you talk about like Ed Orgeron, or I'm thinking about like Mac Brown and some of these guys.

I mean, when you win one national championship, a lot of times that is enough to define your entire career, a career you've dedicated towards one endeavor, which is college football. So what I want to ask you, when you talk about an individual who has six in a decade and a half, do you ever think we'll see something like that again? No, I really don't.

I really don't, especially with the way college football is going. You're looking at the expansion of the playoff. which I, like I said, I'm hoping it's going to add parity in recruiting because that's where it has to start. It's not a quick fix. It's a long-term fix. But no, I don't think we'll see it again. I think Nick Saban is like, you know, I hate Jesus' comparison, but, you know, like the dinosaurs. I mean, that that dominance over that course of time and that grip. That's the thing. Nick Sabin's grip on college football. It's not just the wins. It's how we can affect it. You know, he's almost like the architect. We use that all the time. time from the Matrix. He has so much power in the game. I don't think you'll see another coach with that much power because the game has changed so much. And you're seeing a lot of the power

go into the players' hands now. So to me, to kind of put the periphery around it, I don't think you'll see this type of dominance because, A, Nick Saban is one of a kind of what he does. And two, the ability to have the grip on the game that he's had for so long, I don't think he's going to be there for much longer with the way the game is going. But speaking about getting a grip, you better get a grip on that mouse. Go up there and click the turn the notifications on. Go ahead and click subscribe. Make sure you check us on the Apple Podcasts, IHeartRadio, Spotify, every place you get your podcast.

We'll check you guys tomorrow's we're countdown the National Championship game. And like every other team season outside of Georgia and Bama, we're going going. Gone. The volume. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, not quite on humor, with Robert Smygel and Friends, me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, S&L's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella

band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encourage. It's the enhanced games.

Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to learn the hard weight with your favorite therapist, host, Kear Games. This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that it's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. How many men carry a suit or armor? It signals to the world that you're not to be played with. And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to, listen to learn the hard way on the IHare radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of taun tons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith Rule of Two.

Listen to Stuff to Blow Your Mind on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.