To say Georgia has a tough slate coming up would be a massive understatement.

What appeared to be one of the easier conference schedules entering the season has revealed itself to feature one of the most challenging four-game stretches any SEC team will face during the regular season. Starting this weekend with the trip to LSU, Georgia will then face Florida in Jacksonville (following a bye week), then head to Kentucky before returning home for Auburn.

The combined record of those teams is 19-5 heading into Week 7. If Georgia makes it back to Atlanta to defend its SEC Championship, it will be because they survived this four-game stretch.

But before you ask if Georgia deserves some sympathy for such a challenge schedule, Kirby Smart wasn’t about to let any of that talk invade his football program this week. Here’s what Georgia’s coach had to say about the upcoming slate during his Monday media availability.

“I don’t look at it like you guys do. Everybody is talking about this stretch, and I’m looking at it as we’ve played some good football teams, what I think are good football teams,” Smart said regarding his team’s schedule. “I think anytime you go on the road in the SEC, it’s an adventure, tough environment. We’re going to play some good teams coming up, absolutely. It’s tough everywhere in the SEC.

“Go talk to Tennessee and ask them the road they’re dealing with. Go talk to LSU; they just played Florida. I mean, there’s no time to cry about it. Nobody wants to hear that. You gotta get ready to go play. And that’s why you come to the SEC is you want to run the gauntlet of challenging teams, unbelievable atmospheres on the road, and that’s what the SEC football is all about. So our team’s gotta prepare for that.”

Smart has a good point there, basically, everyone in the SEC is dealing with the same issue. Fortunately for the Bulldogs, few teams have the depth or talent to navigate the stretch ahead. That’s something Smart is surely thankful for this week but something he’s not likely to broadcast as he works every psychological advantage he can this week to continue to get his team to play up to the level it’s going to take to win in Death Valley.