ATHENS — The regular season is in the book and the Georgia Bulldogs are back in the spot they began the season.

Georgia moved up to No. 3 in the Coaches Poll Top 25 rankings heading into conference championship weekend.

Georgia beat No. 23 Georgia Tech 16-9 on Friday to end the regular season with an 11-1 record.

Texas A&M dropped to No. 7 after it lost to Texas on Friday. That loss for the Aggies clinched a spot in the SEC championship game for the Bulldogs.

Georgia will now play in the SEC championship game for a fifth consecutive season, something only Florida has done.

With Alabama’s win over Auburn on Saturday, Georgia will see the Crimson Tide once again in the SEC championship game. This is the third time in the previous five seasons and the fifth time these two teams have met in the SEC championship game.

Alabama has won all four previous meetings. Alabama also beat Georgia earlier in the season, taking down Georgia 24-21 in Athens, Georgia, on Sept. 27.

But Georgia is a different team since that early-season game. The defense has taken major steps forward in recent weeks, as the Bulldogs have given up just one touchdown in its previous three games.

The offense has struggled of late but in its last game against an SEC foe, Georgia put 35 points against the Texas Longhorns.

Georgia will have different offensive personnel, as wide receiver Colbie Young will not play in this game after suffering an injury against Ole Miss. Georgia is also awaiting word on center Drew Bobo, who left Friday’s game against Georgia Tech with a foot injury.

Even with the injuries and the College Football Playoff looming, Georgia coach Kirby Smart very much wants to see Georgia go out and pick up a win.

“If you worry about injury risk, we won’t practice next week,” Smart said. “So you live your life scared of injuries, you know what you get? A very scared team. There’s also an opportunity to win an SEC championship. Does that matter? Does anybody care about that anymore? I mean, I grew up thinking that was the greatest game in the world and just different from everybody else.”

Georgia’s game against Alabama is scheduled for a 4 p.m. ET start on ABC.

You can see the full Coaches Poll Top 25 rankings for Week 15.

Coaches Poll Top 25 rankings for Week 15Ohio StateIndianaGeorgiaOregonOle MissTexas TechTexas A&MOklahomaNotre DameAlabamaBYUVanderbiltMiamiTexasUTahVirginiaUSCMichiganJames MadisonNorth TexasTulaneArizonaGeorgia TechTennesseeNavy