New Georgia head coach Kirby Smart will try to juggle his job as head coach while also remaining on as defensive coordinator for Alabama through the Crimson Tide's playoff run. SEC writers Alex Scarborough and Derek Tyson give their opinions on Smart’s decision and how it may affect both teams.

Scarborough: If I'm Georgia AD Greg McGarrity, I'm not pleased with Smart's decision to stay on at Alabama. Forget the money and the optics of it. Instead, consider the fact that a person with zero head coaching experience is essentially turning down a month's head start where he could be getting a staff together and getting a handle on all the administrative duties he's never had to tackle before. Other than a sense of loyalty to Saban, this makes no sense.

But from Alabama's perspective, I don't see this as an enormous problem in the short-term. Players have seen this type of thing coming for a long time. When they were being recruited by Smart, they heard the rumors of other jobs. And since news broke, they've been overwhelmingly supportive of their current and future former defense coordinator.

While I can easily see a distracted Smart pacing the halls in Tuscaloosa and walking across Paul W. Bryant Drive to call Georgia recruits at night, I think the distraction begins and ends with him. If Saban weren't a defensive-oriented coach, this would be different. But this is Saban's defense and he's as hands-on a coach as you'll find. He already is a part of defensive staff meetings, so he'll just speak up more. Smart's return to campus next week will solve two simple, essentially logistical problems: who calls the plays and who works with linebackers during drills.

As far as the long-term implications, I think that's where things get tricky. While I don't see him flipping a bunch of Alabama recruits to Georgia in this class (I imagine Saban's told him to back off), they won't be off limits in the future. Alabama has made hay in the Peach State in recent years, but under Smart I imagine the borders being much more difficult to cross. A more talented Georgia could mean a more challenging SEC title game in the future, which will make the road to the playoff that much more difficult for Saban and the Tide.

Tyson: While I don’t blame Alabama for wanting to keep Smart through the playoff run, after all -- he played a major role in getting the Crimson Tide to where they are now — Georgia should have insisted on their new head coach joining the program immediately.

The biggest reason of all why Smart should start at Georgia immediately is recruiting. Yes, I understand that Smart is already recruiting for Georgia until the dead period begins on Monday, when he will head back to Alabama to begin bowl preparations. But then what? Wouldn’t the bowl preparation and practices for Georgia be a great time to evaluate and determine where the deficiencies of the team are? That way when the bowls are over, Smart has an even clearer picture of where the top recruiting priorities should be.

In addition to the missed evaluation time at Georgia, Smart will be coaching a program that is directly competing for recruits with Georgia. It’s not like he’s coming from a smaller college and can showcase to recruits what his system will look like. If Alabama dominates in the playoffs, it just showcases the Crimson Tide program even more.

Case in point, Ben Davis, one of the top linebackers in the ESPN 300 and an Alabama native, named Georgia as his leader with Alabama coming in at No. 2 after Smart took the job. With Smart coaching the bowl game, Davis will be closely watching Alabama’s bowl game. If the Crimson Tide were to win a national title, it’s just more positive publicity for Saban and his program. If Alabama were to lose, and the defense play poorly, is there any question where blame will be placed by the fans? Probably on the outgoing defensive coordinator who is trying to juggle two monumental tasks.

While it’s hard to fault Smart for his loyalty to the Alabama players and program, this is big-time college football and Georgia is one of the premier jobs in the country. With less than two months remaining until national signing day Smart’s full attention should be on Georgia.