Tensions Rise for Kirby Smart as FOX’s Joel Klatt Makes Concerning Georgia Verdict

Georgia has looked every bit like one of the best teams in the country through the first five weeks of the season. Fox’s Joel Klatt has had Georgia on top since its win over Oklahoma, and that is still the same in his updated list by him, but after the Vanderbilt win and ahead of the Alabama game, the analyst is concerned about one thing that could cost the Bulldogs the top spot. 

“The Bulldogs have a big one this week, though, that Bama game,” Klatt said on his show recently. “If they don’t get pressure on Keelon Russell, they will lose this week, because Russell is outstanding. And I think the winner of that game will be, at least for me, in the driver’s seat in the SEC.” 

That is a sharp warning from someone who just ranked Georgia first. The game is set for October 10 at Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Both teams are 5-0, and Georgia is No. 2 in the AP poll with Alabama at No. 6. 

Klatt warned about Russell specifically because he is aware of his skills, as the quarterback threw for 365 yards and four touchdowns in Alabama’s 49-18 win over South Carolina on September 26, and Klatt has said he likes Russell’s play and how explosive the Crimson Tide offense is.

Now, Russell was the No. 2 overall recruit in the 2025 class and the 2024 National Gatorade Player of the Year at Duncanville High School in Texas. He flipped his commitment from SMU to Alabama on June 4, 2024, and became the first five-star quarterback Kalen DeBoer recruited at Alabama. 

Interestingly, he won the starting job over Austin Mack and took over from Ty Simpson. Yet, Klatt’s praise for Georgia was just as clear.

 “I still have Georgia number one,” Klatt said. “There’s just something about this Georgia team. It’s not as emphatic a statement as it was last week against Oklahoma, but they took care of Vanderbilt, a game that was a seven-point game at half, then they ran away with it in the second half.”

Georgia won the Vanderbilt game 38-14, and Kirby Smart said the team “probably played the most complete game we’ve played so far” this season. A week earlier, the Bulldogs beat Oklahoma 41-13 and led 28-0 at halftime. They forced four turnovers in that game, and Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer had lost two fumbles and thrown an interception before the break.

But Klatt is less sure about No. 1 Texas. The Longhorns are 4-0 and have a bye before facing Oklahoma on Oct. 10. He called them vulnerable based on their schedule and their play outside the comeback against Ohio State, when they trailed 23-3 and won 24-23. They also beat Tennessee 20-17 in Knoxville. 

Klatt predicts Alabama to pass Texas in the SEC standings, which sets up a Georgia-Alabama title game with Georgia winning. He also has Georgia as the No. 2 seed in the College Football Playoff.

That is why this week matters so much, since the College GameDay will be in Tuscaloosa, and the winner will have an inside track toward the SEC Championship Game. Klatt’s belief in Georgia is strong, but of course with a catch.

If Smart’s defense gets to Russell, the No. 1 ranking looks safe, but if it does not, Klatt says the Bulldogs will lose. So his warning is not exactly a prediction that Georgia is about to fall apart. It is more a test of whether Smart’s defense can hold up against the kind of quarterback Klatt believes can punish one specific weakness.

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