ATHENS – Georgia coach Kirby Smart and Alabama coach Nick Saban addressed the elephant in the room Sunday night.

As they prepare their nationally-ranked teams to meet for the fourth time in the last five years – the next one being in Saturday’s SEC Championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium (4 p.m., CBS) – they were asked if what has happened in those other encounters has any bearing on what transpires in the latest one.

“I think what has happened in the past in games really doesn't have a lot of impact on what happens in the future. I think we've got to line up and play well in this game. So, what happened last year doesn't matter, what happened the year before doesn't matter. You've got to play well in this game. So that's the challenge that we all have."

- Alabama coach Nick Saban

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Thousands of UGA students enjoy during the annual “Frat Beach” party for the weekend of the Georgia-Florida football game on St. Simons Island, Friday, November 1, 2024. On the weekend of the Georgia-Florida football game, St. Simons Island’s East Beach becomes “Frat Beach,” an open-air party teeming with thousands of highly inebriated college students. (Hyosub Shin / AJC)

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC