Georgia moves up to No. 3 heading into SEC championship game

ATHENS — The regular season is in the books and the Georgia Bulldogs are inching closer to the top of the polls.

Georgia moved up to No. 3 in the AP Top 25 Poll heading into conference championship weekend. Georgia is also No. 3 in this week’s Coaches Poll Top 25.

Georgia beat No. 24 Georgia Tech, 16-9, on Friday to end the regular season with an 11-1 record.

Texas A&M dropped to No. 7 after it lost to Texas on Friday. That loss for the Aggies clinched a spot in the SEC championship game for the Bulldogs.

Georgia will play in the SEC championship game for a fifth consecutive season, something only Florida has done.

With Alabama’s win over Auburn on Saturday, Georgia will see the Crimson Tide once again in the SEC championship game. This is the third time in the previous five seasons and the fifth time these two teams have met in the SEC championship game.

Alabama has won all four previous meetings. Alabama also beat Georgia earlier in the season, 24-21, in Athens on Sept. 27.

But Georgia is a different team since that game. The defense has taken major steps forward in recent weeks, as the Bulldogs have given up just one touchdown in their previous three games.

The offense has struggled of late but in its last game against an SEC foe, Georgia put up 35 points against the Texas Longhorns.

Georgia will have different offensive personnel, as wide receiver Colbie Young will not play in this game after suffering an injury against Ole Miss. Georgia is also awaiting word on center Drew Bobo, who left Friday’s game against Georgia Tech with a foot injury.

Even with the injuries and the College Football Playoff looming, Georgia coach Kirby Smart very much wants to see Georgia go out and pick up a win.

“If you worry about injury risk, we won’t practice next week,” Smart said after beating Georgia Tech. “So you live your life scared of injuries, you know what you get? A very scared team. There’s also an opportunity to win an SEC championship. Does that matter? Does anybody care about that anymore? I mean, I grew up thinking that was the greatest game in the world and just different from everybody else.”