The question that always came up in conversation about Mark Richt’s job status now has become a must-answer for Georgia.

Yeah, but if you get rid of Richt, who are you going to hire that’s better?

The new coach had better win division titles — at least one every three years — and knock off some top 10 opponents on occasion. One national title in the next decade probably is the expectation in Athens.

Georgia has made one thing clear with this move: You can hold tremendous character as a man, but if you’re not ensuring the Bulldogs are among the nation’s elite teams annually, you’re not good enough for the job.

We put the topic to test with the Saturday Down South staff.

WILL GEORGIA’S NEXT COACH BE AN UPGRADE? WHO WILL IT BE?

Talal Elmasry (@TalalElmasrySDS): Yes/Kirby Smart

Yes it will be an upgrade, and I think it will be Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart. I think the main reason Mark Richt became expendable was because Kirby Smart is making himself available. I don’t think there’s any doubt that he’s the Bulldogs’ top option, and he may even be the only option among some in the program. He has connections to the school, having started as a grad assistant in 1999 before being Mark Richt’s running backs coach in 2005. I think not only having a connection to Nick Saban but also Richt will make it a great hire in the eyes of the fans.

I think it will definitely be an upgrade as his defenses in Tuscaloosa since 2008 have finished among the top five in the FBS in total defense every season except for 2014 (ranked 12th).

Christopher Smith (@csmithSDS): Probably/Kirby Smart

Mark Richt held the fifth-best winning percentage among active FBS coaches, trailing only Ohio State’s Urban Meyer, Oklahoma’s Bob Stoops, Alabama’s Nick Saban and TCU’s Gary Patterson. Outside media have batted around the word “delusional” to describe the faction of the administration and fan base that wanted to move on from Richt.

If the next hire churns out a string of 8-4 and 9-3 seasons, the school is going to look silly.

Still, I think the next coach will have a great opportunity. Even with the SEC East as low as it has ever been since its inception, and even with Georgia loading up on top 10 recruiting classes each February, Richt has not been able to win a division title the last three years. The new coach, as long as he isn’t a clown on the recruiting trail, will have a prime opportunity.

I think Georgia will hire Kirby Smart, but I would rather see them hire an offensive coach like Dan Mullen or Tom Herman and then make every effort to retain defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt.

Tom Brew (@tombrewsports): No/Unsure

If the bar being set is 145 wins in 15, I think not. Tennessee firing Phillip Fulmer is a great example of what might happen in Georgia. With Florida and Tennessee coming on, the Bulldogs might fall from the perch.

Chris Wright (@FilmRoomEditor): No/A current head coach

Not sure how it could be an upgrade. An upgrade can only mean you win the SEC championship in Year 1 or 2, and possibly the national championship in Year 2 or 3. That doesn’t even get into the ethical factors, the gray areas of recruiting. You absolutely cannot cut corners or give the slightest indication of impropriety.

Kirby Smart? OK. If he’s the guy, we’ll find out. Much is being made of other coordinators having immediate success as first-time head coaches, but in many of those cases, those coordinators were in-house promotions. Jimbo was on Bowden’s staff. Dabo was on the younger Bowden’s staff, etc. They were comfortable with the environment and didn’t reinvent the foundation, or feel the need to. That will be different for somebody like Smart, who is a decade removed.

Besides all of that, this entire win-or-get fired mentality is so out of touch with higher education’s primary purpose. How is it acceptable for Georgia’s Chancellor to not produce a Harvard-like education but still demand its football coach produce Alabama-like results?