ATHENS — Lane Kiffin acknowledged the Georgia team he faced on Saturday was better than the Alabama team Ole Miss faced in September.

But Kiffin noted that might not hold meaning when the Bulldogs and Crimson Tide meet at 4 p.m. on Dec. 2 in the SEC Championship Game.

The No. 2-ranked Bulldogs (10-0, 7-0) beat the No. 9-ranked Rebels (8-2, 5-2) by a 52-17 count on Saturday at Sanford Stadium, impressing Kiffin greatly.

Georgia out-gained Ole Miss 611-352 en route to the win.

The No. 8-ranked Crimson Tide (9-1, 6-1), which clinched the West Division with a 49-21 win at Kentucky earlier Saturday, beat Kiffin’s Rebels by a 24-10 count in Tuscaloosa back in September.

The Tide’s edge in total yardage was only 356-351 that day.

“Every week is different, (and) every game is independent of each other,” Kiffin said. “Obviously, you look at our two games, and they (Alabama) were just figuring out their quarterback situation when we played them.

“Those guys (Georgia) obviously looked like a lot better team than Alabama did that day, but no matter, that was a couple of months ago.”

Kiffin said his focus will be on getting the Rebels back on track. Ole Miss closes the season playing host to Louisiana Monroe next Saturday before fishing the regular season on the road against rival Mississippi State.

“We’ve got our own problems to work on and get back home,” Kiffin said. “These guys can battle it out in the SEC Championship Game.

It will be the fourth time Alabama and Georgia have met in the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta, with the Crimson Tide winning each of the previous three meetings.

Alabama was the last team to beat Georgia, topping the Bulldogs 41-24 in the 2021 SEC Championship Game.

That 2021 Georgia team responded by beating Michigan in the CFP Orange Bowl at the front end of its current 27 game win streak, which included a 41-24 win over the Tide in the CFP Championship Game.