Kirby Smart: 'Disease' Keeps Georgia Players from Fulfilling Potential

Not even a full day after Georgia took care of Baylor in the Sugar Bowl, head coach Kirby Smart is already trying to keep his players' egos in check for next season. 

"To be honest with you, the future is only bright if those guys continue to work because there's a disease that creeps in at Georgia where kids believe they're better than they are and they read their own press clippings," Smart said, per USA Today's Chris Bumbaca.

UGA handled Baylor with relative ease in a 26-14 victory on New Year's Day after flopping in the Sugar Bowl to Texas last season. 

"They'll only be as good as they can be if they stay as hungry as they are," Smart added. "When they're not hungry, you become average. Some of that, I think, has affected us in the past. We've got to find a way in this program to not let that creep in and [to] keep that same hunger you had as a young player. Because we've had it happen to several guys that were really hungry and then they become full." 

That shouldn't be too hard this offseason given how close the Bulldogs were to securing a spot in the College Football Playoff. UGA held down the No. 4 seed in the CFP rankings from Week 11 to Week 14, but a loss to No. 1 LSU in the SEC title game moved Georgia from last team in to first team out. 

It's the same position the program was in last season as well, which may have as much to do with Smart's comments on Thursday as anything. For Georgia to take a step forward, it can't be satisfied with playing on New Year's Day—it needs to return to the playoff. Nothing less, not even a fourth consecutive 10-plus-win season, can substitute for reaching college football's final four. 

With UGA on the cusp of becoming another SEC powerhouse, Smart isn't wasting time getting his message through to his players. Winning the Sugar Bowl isn't enough and there's not much time to celebrate. The 2020 College Football Playoff is all that matters.