ATLANTA -- So this is why Georgia fired Mark Richt.
When the title-starved Bulldogs unceremoniously dumped Richt two years ago, many criticized them for firing a coach who won an average of nearly 10 games and always seemed to do things the right way during his 15-year tenure.
But Georgia’s controversial move wasn’t as much about what it hadn’t done under Richt as much as what it believed it could do under former player Kirby Smart.
Smart, who helped Alabama’s Nick Saban win four national championships as an assistant coach and defensive coordinator, now has his alma mater two victories away from winning its first national title in 37 years.