The Bulldogs are set to face their boogeyman.

The college football game of arguably the entire season, will take place under the evening Tuscaloosa sky.

Alabama beat Georgia in last year’s SEC championship game, keeping the Bulldogs out of the playoffs

The number one ranked Georgia Bulldogs travel to face the fourth ranked Alabama Crimson Tide.

A boogeyman they Georgia thought they had finally relinquished two years ago, when head coach Kirby Smart and his Bulldogs defeated Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide in the national championship game.

But the thing about Alabama is, you have to kill them more than once.

Georgia found that out the hard way last year when they once again found themselves at the mercy of the Crimson Tide.

In Saban’s penultimate game ever, he and Alabama defeated Smart and the Bulldogs in the SEC Championship, keeping Georgia out of the playoffs and ending their quest for a three-peat.

Saban may no longer be the head coach, and may have swapped the sideline for the broadcast studio, but Alabama is still Alabama.

Led by first-year head coach, Kalen DeBoer, who led Washington to the national championship game last year, Smart knows they are still going to have their hands full.

“Everywhere he’s been, he’s been successful,” Smart told the media earlier this week.

“I think he’s very confident in what he does, his organizational methods, and I think it takes that in the situation he’s in.”

The situation that DeBoer is? Following in the steps of the greatest college football coach of all time. No pressure.

Smart will be facing an Alabama team for the first time in his career without Saban at the helm

It’s no secret that Smart and Georgia have an Alabama problem. Who doesn’t?

Smart is just 1-5 against Alabama. Overall, the Crimson Tide has beaten the Bulldogs eight out of the last nine games.

Smart is hoping the tide begins to turn in his favor, but he knows this is still a very talented Alabama football team.

He credits DeBoer for not coming in and demanding things to be done his way, not fixing things that were never broken to begin with.

“I think the smartest thing he’s done is he hasn’t changed everything,” Smart said.

“Offensively, they have some similarities because they have the same quarterback, and we’ll probably see a lot more wrinkles they haven’t shown.

“For the most part, they kept some of the staples they had last year because it makes the quarterback comfortable.”

DeBoer knows what works for this Alabama team and so far, he is pushing all the right buttons.

Georgia got over the hump momentarily when they defeated Alabama two years, but the feeling didn’t last long.

Saban finishes his career as one of the most legendary figures in college football historyGetty

Oh and just in case, Saban will still be at the game, albeit this time as part of the College Gameday crew.

Smart knows it. Smart still feels his presence in the game.

“I feel like he’s still in it, so I don’t really see it as there being a shadow,” Smart told ESPN earlier this week.

“He’s announcing. He’s still involved. He’s still trying to make things right in our game, with Congress or whomever. He ain’t going nowhere. This dude loves it, and he is going to be part of it for a long time.

“The game is better with him in it. I just have so much respect for him. He’s just not coaching anymore, and I don’t get any more chances to beat him.”

Smart may not have any more chances to beat Saban, but he will continue to have plenty chances against Alabama.

Because after all, the Crimson Tide don’t die.

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