Does Kirby Smart have an Alabama problem? The numbers say ... maybe - ESPN

Even as conference realignment and expansion changes so much in college football, some things remain constant no matter the circumstances.

It has been over a decade since the SEC championship game didn't feature one or both of Alabama and Georgia. This season's matchup will fall under the «both» category, marking the fourth time in ten years that the Crimson Tide and Bulldogs have met in Atlanta to determine the conference's champion. It has also resurfaced a fascinating trend: Georgia coach Kirby Smart's struggles to overcome Alabama.

Smart was previously the Crimson Tide's defensive coordinator, and his former employer has been a persistent thorn in his side at his new gig, even as his Georgia program has rocketed to the envy of the college football world.

Smart has won over 100 games, three SEC championships and two national titles against all manner of opponents and opposing coaches. But he's just 1-7 against the Crimson Tide.

Poor records against a rival aren't insurmountable — just last weekend Ohio State coach Ryan Day exorcised some demons against Michigan. But with Georgia and Alabama set to square off for the second time this year and for the ninth time in Smart's tenure, the strange numbers behind Smart's teams' struggles bear examination.

75.5: The remarkable gap in Kirby Smart's win rate against the Crimson Tide compared to all other opponents.

No currently active coach in college football has won games at a clip equivalent to Smart, who boasts a gaudy 116-20 record as head coach of the Bulldogs. His sport-best winning percentage, however, gets even better if one factors out his eight career matchups against Alabama — going from 85.3% to 89.8%. Smart's win rate against the Crimson Tide sits at just 14.3%, a