https://lsu.rivals.com/news/battle-tested-lsu-georgia-teams-gear-up-for-classic-sec-championship
Georgia's road back to the SEC championship is shorter than LSU's — on both the map and the calendar.
The No. 4 Bulldogs (11-1, 7-1) will take the 70-mile trip from Athens to Atlanta for the third straight December, while the No. 2 Tigers (12-0, 8-0) venture three states for its first appearance since 2011.
But coaches Kirby Smart and Ed Orgeron both expect two most confident and well-prepared in the nation to enter Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Saturday and for neither to blink an eye at the stage or circumstance.
"When you come out of the SEC and you represent your programs in this game, you've been through the gauntlet," Smart said. "Whether you're undefeated, you have one loss or you may have two losses, you've been through some tough, hard-fought battles. And I think that that gives this such a classic matchup and why you see a lot of really good games in this, because both teams come into this game battle-tested."
Georgia is just the fourth team in league history to earn three consecutive berths.
Florida (1992-1996) and Alabama (1992-1994) did so in the game's early years, and the Crimson Tide managed the feat again from 2014 to 2016.
"I'm sure that gives 'em some confidence, obviously," Orgeron said. "I think that those guys have been there before, so I'm sure that they'll think that'll give them some confidence. But, you know what? We have a mature team, and those guys are gonna be focused in on what we can control. I think they'll be fine."
Smart praised his counterpart's ability to instill confidence in his program as among his greatest strengths.
"He's done an unbelievable job," the Bulldogs coach said. "He's created confidence and a toughness in their program. Their kids play really hard, really physical, and they play with no fear. And they do an incredible job of being aggressive. You look at the big games that he's coached in and played in, and his teams have been successful."
LSU has beaten an unparalleled four AP top-10 opponents this season.
The Tigers visited Darrell K. Royal Stadium on Sept. 7 to down a then-No. 9 Texas (7-5) that has since faded its way out of the top 25.
And Orgeron's team has since added home wins against then-No. 7 Florida (10-2, 6-2) and then-No. 9 Auburn (9-3, 5-3) and a road win at then-No. 2 Alabama (10-2, 6-2) on Nov. 9.
All three teams finished the regular season ranked in the top 11 nationally Sunday.
"I know they will be well-prepared, and I know they're extremely talented," Smart said. "They've played in a lot of big games this year. You think about it, and they've played in so many big-time matchups, and obviously the SEC championship in another one of those that's the next step for both of us."
Said Orgeron: "I think it's gonna help. The crowd noise — we've practiced crowd noise, and we're gonna practice crowd noise this week. Going out there and making the plays that we've made in a hostile environment, we're gonna need 'em again."
Georgia has beaten three AP-ranked opponents, including a pair of top-10 victories.
The lone blemish on either schedule came on a sloppy afternoon eight weeks ago when Bulldogs quarterback Jake Fromm threw three interceptions to Louisiana native Israel Mukuamu in a double-overtime loss to unranked South Carolina.
Georgia has rattled off six victories since then by a combined margin of 164 to 51, including games against Florida and Auburn.
"They've been through some adversity, and their backs have been against the wall," Smart said. "But they've pushed and bounced back and had some hard-fought wins and obviously now gets a chance and an opportunity that not every team in the country gets — and that's to play on what I consider to be the largest stage in college football and play on a stage where you get to play against one of the best teams in college football."
Georgia's road back to the SEC championship is shorter than LSU's — on both the map and the calendar.
The No. 4 Bulldogs (11-1, 7-1) will take the 70-mile trip from Athens to Atlanta for the third straight December, while the No. 2 Tigers (12-0, 8-0) venture three states for its first appearance since 2011.
But coaches Kirby Smart and Ed Orgeron both expect two most confident and well-prepared in the nation to enter Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Saturday and for neither to blink an eye at the stage or circumstance.
"When you come out of the SEC and you represent your programs in this game, you've been through the gauntlet," Smart said. "Whether you're undefeated, you have one loss or you may have two losses, you've been through some tough, hard-fought battles. And I think that that gives this such a classic matchup and why you see a lot of really good games in this, because both teams come into this game battle-tested."
Georgia is just the fourth team in league history to earn three consecutive berths.
Florida (1992-1996) and Alabama (1992-1994) did so in the game's early years, and the Crimson Tide managed the feat again from 2014 to 2016.
"I'm sure that gives 'em some confidence, obviously," Orgeron said. "I think that those guys have been there before, so I'm sure that they'll think that'll give them some confidence. But, you know what? We have a mature team, and those guys are gonna be focused in on what we can control. I think they'll be fine."
Smart praised his counterpart's ability to instill confidence in his program as among his greatest strengths.
"He's done an unbelievable job," the Bulldogs coach said. "He's created confidence and a toughness in their program. Their kids play really hard, really physical, and they play with no fear. And they do an incredible job of being aggressive. You look at the big games that he's coached in and played in, and his teams have been successful."
LSU has beaten an unparalleled four AP top-10 opponents this season.
The Tigers visited Darrell K. Royal Stadium on Sept. 7 to down a then-No. 9 Texas (7-5) that has since faded its way out of the top 25.
And Orgeron's team has since added home wins against then-No. 7 Florida (10-2, 6-2) and then-No. 9 Auburn (9-3, 5-3) and a road win at then-No. 2 Alabama (10-2, 6-2) on Nov. 9.
All three teams finished the regular season ranked in the top 11 nationally Sunday.
"I know they will be well-prepared, and I know they're extremely talented," Smart said. "They've played in a lot of big games this year. You think about it, and they've played in so many big-time matchups, and obviously the SEC championship in another one of those that's the next step for both of us."
Said Orgeron: "I think it's gonna help. The crowd noise — we've practiced crowd noise, and we're gonna practice crowd noise this week. Going out there and making the plays that we've made in a hostile environment, we're gonna need 'em again."
Georgia has beaten three AP-ranked opponents, including a pair of top-10 victories.
The lone blemish on either schedule came on a sloppy afternoon eight weeks ago when Bulldogs quarterback Jake Fromm threw three interceptions to Louisiana native Israel Mukuamu in a double-overtime loss to unranked South Carolina.
Georgia has rattled off six victories since then by a combined margin of 164 to 51, including games against Florida and Auburn.
"They've been through some adversity, and their backs have been against the wall," Smart said. "But they've pushed and bounced back and had some hard-fought wins and obviously now gets a chance and an opportunity that not every team in the country gets — and that's to play on what I consider to be the largest stage in college football and play on a stage where you get to play against one of the best teams in college football."
