WHERE: Bobby Dodd Stadium, Atlanta

WHEN: Saturday, noon

RECORDS: Georgia 10-1, Georgia Tech 3-8

TV/RADIO: ABC (Bob Wischusen, Dan Orlovsky, Allison Williams); Georgia Bulldog Radio Network (Scott Howard, Eric Zeier, Chuck Dowdle); Sirius/XM/Internet: 81/81/81.

It’s an old football cliché that you can throw out the records when rivals like Georgia and Georgia Tech meet. Kirby Smart could not agree more.

His Bulldogs are 28-point favorites against a Georgia Tech squad that sits at 3-8 under first-year head coach Geoff Collins. But in a game in which so much is at stake, Smart knows his team has no choice but to take the Yellow Jackets extremely seriously.

He believes they will.

“The challenge is about the rivalry. So when you think about this game, records are thrown out. None of that matters. They finished Thursday; this is a huge opportunity and stage for them. We acknowledge that,” Smart said. “A lot of our kids will be playing in front of their home crowd, where they're from, their community, because of so many kids being from the Atlanta area. That's the focus, and that's the concentration, and our guys understand that.”

Thoughts of the SEC Championship against LSU and a possible berth in the College Football Playoffs will have to wait, at least until Saturday’s game is complete.

“We have a mature team, and we said the other day, the most important step is the next step. Georgia Tech is the next step,” Smart said. “They’ve got a football team that's peaking at the right time. They played a really good game Thursday night (when they beat North Carolina State), so we've got to go out and play a good football game.”

The reasons are obvious.

A loss to Georgia Tech would likely end those dreams, even with a win over LSU. But when asked about playing spoiler, Collins said his team’s motivation has nothing to do with potentially ruining Georgia’s dreams.

“In this program, we don't worry about an external factor,” Collins said. “Everything we do is completely internal. It's [about] finding a way to get better every single day, finding a way to play at a high level from day to day, and getting ready to go into Saturday.”

Collins knows it won’t be easy against a Bulldog defense that’s allowing just over 10 points per game.

Take the Bulldogs’ 19-13 win over Texas A&M, for example.

“After we put the film to bed, we watch the explosive runs and the explosive pass tape for the opposing defense,” Collins said. “I watched the explosive runs against Georgia's defense, and I'm like, ‘Where's the rest of them? There's only eight—aren't they're supposed to be more?’ My guys say, ‘Coach, that's accurate. There are only eight.’ So credit to their players and their coaches. They play really, really good run defense.”

Smart said he’s been impressed with what he’s seen of the Yellow Jackets, too, adding again that his team will be ready to play.

“I don't think you have to worry about that, because we don't look at the record. We look at the team on the tape. That's more important than their record. We're not scoreboard watching; we're not record watching,” Smart said. “We're looking at the guy across from us, and we're really, as simple as it sounds—I know you think people don't do this—but we're trying to take the next step, which is Georgia Tech.”

Get the offense going: Smart will tell you he’s just interested in winning the game, but secretly, you know he and the rest of the Bulldogs would love to get the offense on track heading into next week’s SEC Championship.

Stay healthy: This probably goes without saying, but after losing Lawrence Cager to an ankle injury in practice, the Bulldogs absolutely cannot afford to get any more key performers injured ahead of next Saturday’s SEC title game.

Be focused: As I mentioned above, rivalry games can sometimes be a little bit tricky if you’re not focused. Although Smart doesn’t believe that will be an issue, it would behoove the Bulldogs to be on their collective A game to start, and not give the Yellow Jackets any reason to believe they can win.

...WR Lawrence Cager: Cager injured his ankle in practice Wednesday and Friday posted on Instagram suggesting his playing days as a Bulldog are done.

...OL Cade Mays: Mays (shoulder) was limited to special teams reps against Texas A&M, but is expected be ready for OL reps against the Yellow Jackets.

...CB Eric Stokes: According to Smart, Stokes is back at practice after suffering an undisclosed injury in the second quarter against Texas A&M. We’ll have to wait and see if he’s good to go for Saturday.

The apparent loss of Lawrence Cager to an ankle injury has certainly put a damper on the weekend for the Bulldogs. But they still need to beat LSU in next week's SEC Championship to earn a spot in the College Football Playoffs.

Rivalry games can often be tricky, especially those against ones with poor records and nothing to lose. That won't be a problem for Georgia. The Bulldogs are a mature team, and will enter the game with the proper mindset. You're also going to see Georgia score more than 30 points for the first time since the Week 5 win at Tennessee. Whoopee! Prediction: Georgia 31, Georgia Tech 10.