Kirby Smart discusses facing former UGA teammate Will Muschamp this week

Now that both Kirby Smart and Will Muschamp are coaching in the SEC East, the two former Georgia teammates will face off every year.

This weekend, Smart’s Georgia team and Muschamp’s South Carolina squad will meet up in Athens for a Week 10 showdown.

On Monday, though, Smart downplayed the significance of his good-natured rivalry with Muschamp, saying it’s not about the two coaches — it’s about the players involved:

Kirby asked about being competitive when facing a friend: 'It's not about Will (Muschamp) and I. It's not about us. It's about our players.'

— Jason Butt (@JasonHButt) October 30, 2017

When the players take the field, the Gamecocks will certainly be looking to hand the Bulldogs their first loss of the year, while the Dawgs will look to improve to 9-0.

The Gamecocks are still alive in the SEC East, but if they lose on Saturday, they’ll be eliminated.

Therefore, Smart and Muschamp’s rivalry takes on an extra meaning this time around.

The annual Georgia-South Carolina game kicks off at 3:30 p.m. Eastern time and can be seen on CBS.