Smart, Saban talk impending rematch in CFP title game

DANIA BEACH, Fla. — The last time Georgia sealed a spot in the College Football Playoff national championship game in the 2017 season, the team had to fly across country after a double overtime Rose Bowl win against Oklahoma and turn around and play Alabama one week later.

There's three days more between games this time and a shorter trip home that the Bulldogs made Sunday from Miami after its 34-11 Orange Bowl blowout of Michigan.

They aren't wasting any time getting ready for another shot at Alabama on Monday Jan. 10 in Indianapolis.

Kirby Smart was asked Saturday when the team will turn the page to Alabama. He chuckled.

“That was last night,” he said on ESPN'S College Gameday. “It doesn't take long. When you know you've got to play those guys, you've got to be ready. We just landed and we're heading into the office now to kind of put this game behind us. We've got some good notes from the last time we played them. We're going to try to use those and certainly get a better plan for the players."

Smart had just arrived on one of the team's flights back from Miami and did the interview walking after getting off the plane at Athens-ben Epps Airport around 12:30 p.m. He spoke about the 4124 loss to Alabama in the SEC championship game on Dec. 4.

“We didn't play really well in our last outing and there's a lot of guys on that defense that have a lot of pride, man,” Smart said. “Those guys have a lot of pride. It wasn't our best performance but it's also easier to play when you've got a 17-0 lead and your offense is clicking, you're quarterback is playing well..”

The teams will play 37 days after Alabama dealt Georgia its first loss of the season.

Alabama coach Nick Saban told College

Gameday he expects new wrinkles from both teams.

“I don't think it's unusual for people to do something a little different, make some tweaks in what they do and try to take advantage of things,” Saban Saturday morning still in Dallas after its 27-6 Cotton Bowl win over Cincinnati. “I think when you play a team, much like the NFL when you play in a division and you play the same teams twice a year and maybe even again in the playoffs, you try to change things up, you try to evaluate what happened in the last game, what they did to take advantage in what you do and how you can maybe adjust so that you have a better chance to have success .”