Nick Saban and his former protégé Kirby Smart exchanged a playful jab on Saturday while on the set of ESPN’s College GameDay. College GameDay went to Atlanta on Saturday ahead of the SEC championship game between Alabama, formerly coached by Saban, and Smart’s Georgia Bulldogs.Smart was a guest on the show, answering questions from the crew, including Saban, under whom he was Alabama’s defensive coordinator. Saban, seeking a blunt, stripped-down answer from Smart, asked him:“I know all the bulls**t I taught you, like control the line of scrimmage, be able to run the ball, stop the run, play well on third down, get off the field on third down, play well in the red zone, don’t give up explosive plays, turnovers, all that. After all that bulls**t, tell me what really is a factor in this game.”Smart offered a joking response to Saban’s question, saying:“Apparently, the key for you is to play your backup quarterback. That always seemed to work for you.”Kirby Smart’s joking reference was to the 2018 SEC Championship Game when Saban played Jalen Hurts in place of an injured Tua Tagovailoa. Hurts led the Crimson Tide to a comeback win over Smart’s Georgia.The two-time national championship-winning coach gave the response his former boss demanded after his joke. He said:“I really think situational football is so important, and all those things that you talked about were bulls**t. We can put them aside. I do think that third down, red area, and special teams. Every time we played in the SEC championship, there has been a monumental special-teams play. I think those are really important, but other than that, it’s all bulls**t.”Kirby Smart’s SEC championship track record and Alabama “problem”The Bulldogs are 11-1 going into Saturday’s game, bidding for their fourth conference title under Kirby Smart’s guidance. The soon-to-be 50-year-old coach led Georgia to conference title triumphs in 2017, 2022, and 2024.With a 1-7 record against Alabama, the odds seem stacked against Smart going into Saturday’s game. The Bulldogs have played in seven SEC championship games with Smart as head coach. They’ve faced Alabama in three out of those seven games and have lost each time.The Tide won their earlier meeting with Georgia this season with a close 24-21 victory, a feat they’ll be hoping to repeat on Saturday.