Kirby Smart is no stranger to big games and this weekend’s match up against Tennessee looks to the biggest of the entire 2022 college football season. The Dawgs will play the Volunteer’s at Athens in what looks to be the deciding game for the SEC East.

On Monday, Smart addressed the idea of his players being in shape to keep up with the high-powered Tennessee offense.

“You can’t get your players in shape in one week,” Kirby said. “We’ve been building towards this week since Week 1. The conditioning levels of our players has been a concern every week for me.”

Josh Heupel’s offense has been nothing short of elite this season and it’s unique in how it traps defenses in different personnel packages. By not substituting and playing fast, Heupel leans against a team by testing their stamina.

“We’re going to find out on Saturday if we’re in shape or not,” Smart said. “I can promise you that, because they’re going to try and get a lot of snaps in.”

Smart also mentioned “speed, space and scheme” when asked about how the Volunteers have found so much success through the air. Tennessee’s starting quarterback, Hendon Hooker, has had an outstanding year with 2,338 passing yards and a 71% completion percentage with 21 touchdowns and 1 interception.

“Talented arm,” Smart said while giving an example on what Hooker provides. “you know you can have the most talented receivers in the world and they can get open all the time but if you don’t have someone that can get it to them.”

This Saturday will likely decide not only which team will go to Atlanta but also which team stands a good chance of making it into the College Football Playoff.

Tennessee will travel to Athens to play Georgia on CBS at 3:30 p.m. ET.