Kirby Smart And Georgia know Alabama can sometimes have the Bulldogs’ number, including during last year’s SEC Championship Game.

But Smart and this year’s squad are focused on the present, that’s all. Yes, it’s No. 2 versus No. 4, but you have to take it week by week.

That’s why Smart didn’t want to focus on last year’s game.

“We didn’t make it about them,” Smart further said College GameDay. “We’re not concerned with Alabama beating us in that game. There are things we did that we didn’t play well, and they did. They performed better than us. They physically observed us. They really won the scrimmage. And that’s what you do in the SEC. If you can win the line of scrimmage, you have a great opportunity. So that match is from last year.

“I said to the guys, that game is from last year and a lot of people are different on our sideline and on their sideline. So it’s a new game, but it’s an incredible program and an incredible atmosphere for both teams.”

With a victory, Georgia will once again be shown to the entire country. Not that Smart has to prove himself or his Bulldogs program, but it will put them back at the top of Alabama for the time being.

“I mean, this is a showcase of recruiting kids from all over Cali and all over the country to come and play in these types of games,” Smart said. “So that’s the most important thing. The biggest difference is that it is a regular season game. There is a lot at stake to see who will lead and who will try to secure one of those playoff spots. But in the SEC we got a lot of games after this, them and us.”

What will determine the game? Well, Smart kept it simple.

“Players play at critical times,” Smart said. “You know, you can always go to turnovers as long as it’s history, but at the end of the day, we have teams that are explosive, and they’ve been very explosive, and defensively, we’ve done well. work to stop those explosives.

“But the game comes down to how you respond to the momentum swings in the game. The crowd makes it a little harder on the road, but who responds well to adversity will go a long way to determining who wins.