Can Smart take down Saban? Check back in a few years

ATLANTA — When Kirby Smart returned to his alma mater, he already had a pretty good template for success.

He might as well have been wearing a wrist band with the letters “WWND.” What Would Nick Do? In just two short years, Smart has taken Georgia to the cusp of its first national championship since 1980, largely by following the process laid out by his former boss, Alabama’s Nick Saban.

Perhaps it’s only fitting that to win the title, Smart will have to beat the man who taught him so well.

Bring it on, says Saban, in the twilight of his career but still on top of his game.

“I have a lot of respect for all the guys that worked for me,” the Crimson Tide coach said. “I’m happy to see them doing well wherever they go, and when we have to play against them, I’m sure they’re doing everything they can to beat us for their team and their players.

“We’re going to do the same with our players. It’s not personal.”

While some would have you believe this is one of those potential changing- of- the- guard games, let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

Saban hasn’t stared down a true coaching peer in the Southeastern Conference since Urban Meyer left Florida, and it would be foolish to anoint Smart to fill that role even if Georgia defeats the Crimson Tide in Monday night’s national championship game.

Saban’s greatness is in the longevity.

It will take more than one title to take down perhaps the greatest coach in college football history.

Like the man at the helm, Saban’s program is a self-perpetuating behemoth that never sits still.

His dynasty has endured for a full decade in an era of increased parity because it never takes time to revel in its accomplishments.

Any celebrations are fleeting. When there’s a rare stumble along the way, he always gets right back up.

Win or lose, Saban will go to work Tuesday with the same mindset, singularly focused on what it will take to build his next championship team.