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UGA and Alabama fans begin tailgating ahead of SEC Championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium

The Bulldogs and the Crimson Tide are set to battle at 4 p.m. Saturday in the Benz where Bama beat Georgia in the National Championship game in January

More than 24 hours before kickoff, University of Georgia and Alabama football fans were already filling a tailgating lot with RVs and buses ahead of the SEC Championship game. 

The conference title game will be a rematch of the 2018 College Football National Championship in January at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Alabama enters the game with a perfect 12-0 record and has beaten every opponent this season by at least three touchdowns. Georgia is 11-1 and riding a 5 game win streak. UGA's only loss came in mid-October during a 36-16 beating by LSU. 

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Alabama and Georgia are ranked No. 1 and 4 respectively in every major poll.

Kickoff at the Benz for Saturday's SEC title game is scheduled for 4 p.m.

Georgia fans, on Friday, said they're hungry for revenge after the overtime loss to Bama in the National Championship game. 

Back in January, UGA Coach Kirby Smart vowed his team would remain a team to beat in the future.

"In overtime, we didn't finish when we had to and Alabama did," Smart said. "Give them credit, but I think everybody can see that Georgia is going to be a force to be reckoned with and we aren't going anywhere." 

Also vowing to not go anywhere are UGA fans who are standing by their team and are optimistic the Bulldogs can pull out a win on Saturday. 

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"I feel like they skated by us a little bit, they got a little lucky there towards the end so it would be nice to a get a little revenge, I'm not going to lie about it," UGA tailgater Jamey Hollis said while remembering the national championship loss.

A win Saturday could help heal a bit of the wound Georgia fans have from the overtime loss in January. At the same time though several fans said they respect Alabama and the program their coach Nick Saban has run.

"You have to have respect for what Nick Saban has done. I just think it is time for Georgia to step up and get to the level that Bama is at and I think this game is a game where Georgia is wanting to prove that," said Richie Baxter as he tailgated on Friday.  

Parking lots for the championship game open at 7 a.m. on Saturday and stadium gates open at 1:30 p.m. For fans taking bags into the stadium, Mercedes-Benz Stadium details the venues clear bag policy and other important gameday information on its website

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