The Curious Case of Big Game Georgia

As September of the 2021 season draws to a close, Kirby Smart and the Dawgs are preparing for their first big conference game of the 2021 season.

As September of the 2021 season draws to a close, Kirby Smart and the Dawgs are preparing for their first big conference game of the 2021 season. 

Sam Pittman returns to Athens for the first time since taking the Arkansas job amid a chorus of praise from the national media and hometown fans. He leads a gritty, physical, Top-10 ranked Razorback squad fresh off of a dominant performance over Texas A&M. College Gameday is in town, Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit are on the call, and Kirby Smart has challenged fans to show up early and create a raucous environment. This game has all the trappings of a big game, and surely a Georgia win would cement the Dawgs reputation around college football. 

There is no guarantee that will be the case come Monday morning.

The simple fact is Georgia doesn't win big games. Ask almost anyone around college football, and they'll tell you the same. It's not that the Dawgs rarely play in them. Georgia is no stranger to games that display all the glamour and pageantry of college football and capture the nation's attention. It's not the fact the Dawgs never win these games. Georgia is 11-6 against Top-10 teams under Kirby Smart. The reason Georgia doesn't win big games is that, of those 17 games against Top-10 opponents, 11 of them don't count. They don't count to opposing fans, they don't count to media members, and they don't count to a sizable contingent of Dawg fans.

If you think I'm tilting at windmills, Google "Georgia doesn't win big games". You'll find countless articles detailing the Dawg's inability to win when it matters most. There are even many of them from less than a month ago, from just before Georgia faced Clemson in the season opener. They all had a similar tone; this is Georgia's chance to prove they can finally win the big one. Guess what? They did. Georgia took down the second-ranked Clemson Tigers, and they got their big win. Or did they?

A day after the game, everyone was convinced that the Dawgs had overcome that obstacle, but three games later, that game looks like a stain on Georgia's record. Clemson has looked abysmal following that game, barely scrapping by a .500 Georgia Tech team and then losing to NC State. Clemson doesn't look like the team it's been for the last half-decade of football, and Georgia's narrow victory now casts doubt on them as a team.

So once again, the Dawgs find themselves back into a familiar narrative. Georgia has to beat a Top-10 team, win the big game, and prove itself all over again. Even with a win this Saturday, this most likely won't be the last time Georgia has to prove this point this season. The Razorbacks face the most brutal schedule in college football, and if they stumble, Georgia loses its big game win.

However, Dawg fans shouldn't let that take away from the importance of this game. It is a test just like the Clemson game was, and it should be celebrated. Defending your home turf against one of the toughest, most physical teams in the nation is something to be proud of, and no matter what comes, you'll know that Georgia can win The Big One.

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