Alabama vs. Georgia will be a pressure cooker and Kirby Smart will feel it the most.

An Alabama Crimson Tide pressure cooker awaits the Georgia Bulldogs and Kirby Smart. As one of the biggest games of the 2024 season, the college football world will focus attention on Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

In terms of Playoff contention, the loser will not lose much. In other ways, Kirby Smart has much to lose. Much more than Kalen DeBoer.

The strong wills of coaches are suited to facing pressure. Many relish opportunities to deliver under the most intense of pressure situations. Still, they are not supermen (unless they are named Nick Saban) and the anxiety that accompanies pressure can be a heavy weight.

The weight will be heavy on Kirby Smart on Sept. 28. He has been waiting for this opportunity for years. When Alabama beat Georgia last December, Smart said to Saban, "you can't keep doing this much longer." Kirby was right. Since January, Georgia's fans have been sure that college football's royal heir is now the King.

But Kirby cannot be King if he can't beat Alabama. His history against Saban and Alabama is humbling. In six tries, Smart bested his mentor just once. A couple of lesser coaches than Smart fared better against Saban than Kirby. College football is in a new Post-Saban era, but Smart's failures against Saban are not erased.

Unless Georgia incurs some serious practice injuries, the Bulldogs will come to Tuscaloosa as the betting favorite. The current spread (on Sept. 19) has the Bulldogs as a 2.5-point favorite. According to ESPN Analytics, The Crimson Tide has a 67% probability of winning.

Alabama Football and Georgia Seek Statement Win

Georgia will welcome the opportunity of coming to Tuscaloosa seeking a statement win. The Dawgs will be as pumped as the Crimson Tide. In the frenzy of a game, Kirby Smart will not think about his record against Alabama. He will have no time for such distraction. Still, if the game reaches a point where Georgia's chance to win is fading, Kirby is human, meaning he is not immune to doubt. How such a situation might affect him can't be predicted. He could be 100% unaffected during the game. After a Georgia loss, his response could be far different.

The Georgia nation has become so convinced the Bulldogs will dominate Alabama after Saban that whether Smart agrees or not he must carry that expectation. Losing his first game to Kalen DeBoer and his sixth to the Alabama Crimson Tide would be a body blow for Smart.

Kirby Smart knows now how much momentum the Bulldogs would lose and how much Georgia fans will lose confidence if Alabama wins. One September loss does not derail a season. After Saturday, both teams will remain in Playoff contention. A loss will be harder for Georgia to move on from, than for Alabama. That is why the man with the most pressure on Sept. 28 will be Kirby Smart.