ATHENS — Like many Georgia fans out there, inside linebacker Smael Mondon knew that with the right combination of results, Georgia could find itself back in the SEC Championship game.
He just didn’t think it would happen in the middle of Saturday night.
“I woke up in the middle of the night,” Mondon said during Monday’s press conference. “I got on my phone and didn’t see it (until) then. So I was surprised, but really excited, blessed to have the opportunity. But like you said, it don’t really change nothing for this week. Just still focus on Georgia Tech. You know we gotta get passed that first.”
Thanks to losses by Alabama and Texas A&M, the Bulldogs locked up one of two spots in the SEC Championship game, which is scheduled for Dec. 7. Georgia will learn who it faces this weekend, as the Bulldogs will face the winner of the Texas-Texas A&M. Georgia has already beaten the Longhorns this season, while it has not played Texas A&M since 2019.
But Georgia knows it can’t look past its own in-state rivalry game this weekend. The Bulldogs expect to have their hands full against a Georgia Tech team that is treating Friday’s game like the Super Bowl.
“I mean it’s a great honor to be able to play in the SEC Championship game. It is probably one of the greatest events in all sports because the games that you play in are great matchups,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “But at this point in time, we don’t even know who that it is, nor do I care. My concern 100 percent is with Georgia Tech because of what that game means to so many in this state, so many on our team, and what it means to the season, and the seniors playing at home. So that’s the focus.”
In some ways, Georgia is accustomed to playing in this spot. This is the fourth consecutive season where Georgia will play in the SEC Championship game. The only other program that has accomplished that feat is Florida, which played in the first five SEC Championship games, starting in 1992 and running through 1996.
In each of those previous years, Georgia faced Georgia Tech the week before. Last year, Georgia came away with a 31-23 victory over the Yellow Jackets in Atlanta. Smart is 6-1 in his career against Georgia Tech.
Georgia Tech undoubtedly feels emboldened by that result and feels it can hang with Georgia. The Yellow Jackets are 7-4 on the season and upset College Football Playoff-hopeful Miami earlier this season. The Yellow Jackets have also played Notre Dame this year and are very much battle-tested entering this week’s game.
Because of that, Georgia knows it can’t play around with its food this week.
“We’re super excited about it but we’ve got to take this weekend and do what we gotta do,” offensive lineman Dylan Fairchild said. “You can’t eat an elephant all at once. You gotta eat it one bite at a time. You can’t focus on that. Just gotta focus on what’s important and that’s what is in front of us.”
While Georgia does now have an extra game to look forward to, it’s not like the Bulldogs can earnestly begin preparing for the SEC Championship game. Georgia won’t know who it will play until late Saturday night, as the Texas-Texas A&M game is set for a 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff on ABC.
Georgia does get the benefit of playing Georgia Tech on a Friday and thus gets an extra day to rest and prep for the Dec. 7 showdown.
But that comes at a price, as the Bulldogs have less time to prepare for Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets also have a rest advantage, having played last Thursday against NC State.
“The preparation is Georgia Tech,” Smart said. “There’s nothing we can really do, and we don’t really worry about it. We worry about one game at a time. I mean, we know when we played Alabama that we had Auburn the next week, right? We don’t do anything for Auburn. We’re worried about the game we have.”
Friday’s game against Georgia Tech is set for a 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff. ABC will broadcast the game.
