With the possibility of teams pushing through the new 12-team playoff and ultimately playing between 16-17 games, could that affect how coaches like Kirby Smart manage their teams for the upcoming season?

For example:

Would it affect the way teams try to manage leads? Might coaches get players out of games earlier?

Could it change the way programs prepare?

Smart doesn’t believe so.

“The way we go about practicing is critical. I believe in having a physical, tough camp. I don't think you back off about that,” Smart said. “If you do, it may not matter about those games. If you're not physical enough at the line of scrimmage and tough enough and you don't demand excellence, during the season there is only so much we can do to create the toughness that we need at the line of scrimmage and the toughness we need as an overall football team.”

If you know Smart, taking it easy will not do.

Fall camp is supposed to be difficult. It always is, even at the risk of injuries.

“Camp is tough. I think that's important that it remains tough. We did have to be smart to stay healthy,” Smart said. “We have certain areas we have more depth, and you have to be smart and calculated about the risk you take of losing guys.”

Otherwise, Smart said the prospect of navigating a 12-team playoff schedule will not alter the way he prepares his team.

Nor will it affect the way he manages a game.

“We certainly have a tougher schedule, but how we play games is to play to win,” Smart said. “How we play at the end of the game, if we have leads, we're always looking to get guys opportunities and grow players like Carson Beck getting in a lot of games when he was behind Stetson (Bennett) so they're ready when their opportunity comes.”

Considering the difficulty of Georgia’s schedule, however, many of those opportunities may not occur.

Road trips to Kentucky, Alabama, Texas, and Ole Miss will not be easy.

“Yeah, initially I was wondering how I got that draw, but we're not one to complain,” Smart said. “We're one to be excited. I think when you step into the shoes of a University of Georgia football player, you accept that challenge is going to be there.”

The opener at Mercedes-Benz Stadium against Clemson also offers tremendous appeal.

“I mean, we kind of embrace that and we love it. I mean, what you didn't get to mention is we open with Clemson, too, one of the top programs in the country. So we're really excited about that. I think that motivates our off-season so that we have the right kind of approach to the off-season,” Smart said. “Our guys embrace that. As coaches, we want to play the best. People forget that when you've spent time in the NFL, every week was like that. So, when Texas and Oklahoma came into the conference, every schedule was going to get harder.”

But Smart says to bring it on.

“We embrace that. We look forward to it,” he said. “We are excited for the challenge to go to some really tough places.”