In the months since Georgia hired Kirby Smart as its coach, I kept feeling a sense of déjà vu. I couldn’t quite place the feeling until it hit me: As lead writer for Coogfans.com, covering Houston, I realized that many of the things Smart has said in advance of his first game were the same things said by Houston coach Tom Herman before last season.
Many SEC fans likely will scoff and say, “So what? You’re talking about a Group of Five program, not a program in the best conference in America.” Well, there are a lot of comparisons between the coaches, and besides, you have to admit that Houston going from 8-5 in 2014 (and 21-17 the previous three seasons under Tony Levine) to 13-1 with a victory over Florida State in the Peach Bowl in one season is impressive.