It’s easy to get caught up in the new landscape of college football, but let’s not forget about the “old guard” just yet.
Yes, the Indiana Hoosiers are the reigning and defending national champions and that’s going to take time to get used to. We’ve also seen the rise of programs like Vanderbilt, Texas Tech and Georgia Tech thanks to their ability to adapt to the NIL and transfer portal era.
Things have even changed in the SEC. Vandy is a good example of that, but the years of it being “Alabama and everyone else” are simply in the past.
Ole Miss and Missouri have both figured out how to compete in this era, and the Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners have certainly shifted the SEC power dynamic.
Are we forgetting about a major member of the “old guard” that deserves a bit more respect, though? Joel Klatt of Fox Sports certainly thinks so, and his thoughts on Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs are clear as we look ahead to the 2026 college football season.
“The SEC still goes through Athens,” Klatt said on the newest episode of his podcast (h/t On3). “It’s easy to take Georgia for granted, isn’t it? They haven’t won the (national) title in three years, so we think, meh, you know, Georgia’s not what they used to be.”
