ATLANTA – There will come a time when Kirby Smart will sit back in his Lazy Boy, sip on a tall glass of sweet tea, and fondly recall what his top-ranked Georgia football team has been able to achieve over the past two-plus years.

Many of us are liable to be old and gray before he does. Any reflection is going to have to wait--especially after his team’s close call Saturday night at Bobby Dodd Stadium.

With Saturday’s 31-23 victory over Georgia Tech, Smart and the Bulldogs turn their full attention to Alabama in next Saturday’s SEC Championship. A spot in the playoffs and a chance for the Bulldogs to defend their last two national championships will be on the line.

More on that shortly.

Smart and his players do a great job brushing off all talk of streaks, which is a testament to the culture and focus the Bulldogs have when it comes to taking it one game at a time.

Nevertheless, what Georgia did with its seventh straight victory over the Yellow Jackets deserves at least a mention.

In the other 91 years that the Southeastern Conference has been in existence, never before has a member school put together three consecutive years of undefeated regular season play.

Until now.

Never before has a member school won 29 consecutive games–until now.

The fact that Georgia accomplished the feat after having 25 total players drafted over the past two years is nothing short of amazing.

For those counting, Saturday’s victory improved the record of the 2023 class to 49-3.

If you’re a Bulldog fan, these are truly the glory years. But this isn’t the time to start basking in it.

It’s not in Smart’s DNA to do anything but look ahead to the next game.

Saturday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, that team is Alabama.

For years, or at least since Nick Saban took over, the Crimson Tide program has been the measuring stick by which all other programs are evaluated.

That’s no longer necessarily the case.

A victory Saturday at The Benz would leave no question as to where the top program calls home.

Georgia fans may not like to hear it, but Saban deserves his flowers for Alabama’s season thus far, despite Saturday’s miracle at Auburn.

Like many, yours truly wasn’t giving the Tide much chance to be in the position they are after a sluggish offensive start to begin the year.

However, after committing full-time to Jalen Milroe at quarterback once SEC play began, Alabama is back where many predicted it would be when the season began: back in Atlanta for the SEC Championship.

Standing in the way is Georgia, setting up the game that everyone who follows the sport ultimately thought we’d see.

For the Bulldogs, it’s an opportunity many teams dream about having but few have the chance to realize.

Yes, we’re talking about potential history.

A second straight SEC Championship and third straight trip to the College Football Playoffs is on the line, and with it a chance to do something that has not been accomplished in over 80 years–win three straight national crowns.

Stay tuned.