ATHENS — Bruce Pearl has a No. 1-ranked team at Auburn, but the veteran coach knows that playing in the SEC will make it hard it hold its place at the top.

“I couldn’t be more pleased with where we are right now, and I recognize we could lose our next seven games in a row, that’s how good our league is, and I mean that,” said Pearl, whose team plays host to No. 15 Mississippi State at 7 p.m. on Tuesday before a road trip to play No. 23 Georgia at 1 p.m. on Saturday.

“Every night is gonna be a different night and a different matchup, and matchups matter.”

The Bulldogs, who have lost the past three meetings with Auburn since beating Pearl’s Tigers in Athens two seasons ago, are ranked for the first time in 14 years.

UGA coach Mike White and his team are downplaying the rankings, wanting to stay focused in the moment, but Pearl believes such rankings are worth celebrating and credits White and Georgia for becoming contenders.

“It’s historic,” Pearl said. “You could say the rankings don’t mean anything right now, but look, it’s history, and we’re into making history.”

Pearl said Georgia is on a level now where it’s able to recruit evenly with his program, a credit to him and his program.

“I think it’s where Mike looks at himself and where he looks at his coaching staff, and he’s got a great coaching staff, they do a phenomenal job, and Georgia made a real commitment in NIL,” Pearl said.

“There was a time, a few years ago, where if we wanted a kid form Atlanta, we’ve had like six or seven guys go to the NBA out of Atlanta, alone, and now Georgia is right there with us in the area of recruiting.”

Pearl said it takes talent and confidence to have the success White and his program are enjoying.

“They obviously believe and the players believe,” Pearl said. “Mike has always done a great job coaching.”

Georgia plays at No. 6 Tennessee on Wednesday.

It’s a UT program Pearl sparked to unprecedented heights during his tenure there from 2005-2011 with six straight NCAA tournament appearances, the program’s first-ever No. 1 ranking, a school-record 31-win season and the program’s first-ever Elite Eight appearance.

The Rick Barnes-led Vols were ranked No. 1 last week before No. 5 Florida handed them their first loss of the season in Gainesville last week.

Tennessee has won nine consecutive home games.

Georgia, meanwhile, we be putting its 13-game home court win streak — currently the 12th-longest in the nation and third longest in the SEC behind Florida (16) and Kentucky (14) — on the line when Pearl and Auburn come to Stegeman Coliseum on Saturday.