SEC CHAMPIONSHIP

4:30 p.m., Dec. 1 Georgia 11-1, Alabama 11-1 WOIO captured the fifth national title of the Saban era, these two powerhouses will square off in another game with huge ramifications.

A Southeastern Conference championship is on the line, as well as a trip to the College Football Playoff.

“We certainly want to win every game that we play,” said Saban, who is trying to guide the No. 1 Crimson Tide (12-0, 8-0 SEC, No. 1 CFP) to its sixth national title in the last decade — perhaps the greatest dynasty that college football has ever seen and not far off the seemingly impossible standard he sets for his program.

Fourth-ranked Georgia (11-1, 7-1, No. 4 CFP) is eager to start a dynasty of its own.

Smart, a longtime assistant under Saban who moved to Georgia in 2016, has already shown he can go head-to-head with his exboss on the recruiting trail.

Now, Smart is eager to prevail on the field. He sure came close the last time these teams met, watching his team squander a pair of 13-point leads before Alabama won 26-23 in overtime on a 41-yard touchdown pass while facing second-and-26.

“We obviously have our challenges to try to continue to play at the standard that we’ve played at,” Saban said. “I have no doubt they’ll continue to have a very, very good program.”

Despite all the titles, all the chances to savor its laurels, Alabama never seems to waver from the singleminded focus of its coach.

As soon as the Tide wins a national title, it starts looking toward the next one.

“We’ve been here before,” nose guard Quinnen Williams said. “Everybody knows when it’s time to come to work. You can be beat any day. You can be the best team in the country and get beat.”

The Bulldogs made an unexpected run to the national title game last season, but this is right where they expected to be in 2018.

Right where they expect to be for years to come.

“Last year was a shocker,” linebacker Juwan Taylor said, “but this is what it’s going to be like at Georgia from now on. Championships.”