It’s Kentucky, so there’s that little caveat. The bar, shall we say, is set pretty low.

When Georgia travels to Lexington for Saturday’s showdown with the Wildcats, it’s going to be a pretty big deal. The SEC East title is on the line, which is just another Saturday for Georgia football, but for Kentucky, it’s a very rare moment.

The hype? It’s off the charts.

The game? It’s only being called the biggest game ever played in Lexington. That’s big. Biggest. Ever.

Since the league split into two divisions in 1992, Kentucky has never won the SEC East and, therefore, never played in the SEC Championship Game. The Wildcats, a founding member of the league dating to 1933, have only won two SEC titles, one in 1950 with Bear Bryant as their coach, and a co-championship in 1976 (with Georgia) that they backed in to a few years after the fact because of NCAA probation taking wins away from Mississippi State, one of which was a Kentucky loss for Fran Curci’s group.

So winning the SEC East is a huge deal. Kroger Field — the newish name for Commonwealth Stadium — will be rocking.

But Georgia will be ready. They’re well-prepared for what they’re going to see. The Bulldogs are 7-1 overall and 5-1 in the SEC, just like Kentucky. It’s going to be a battle.

“It is going to be a four-quarter game because that is the kind of team they are,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said Monday. “The good thing for us is we have been a good second-half team this year, doing well finishing in that regard. I think that is an advantage for us, (but) they are a great team that is going to keep fighting. They have a chance to go to Atlanta as well. They are going to be pumped up and ready to go.”

So will the Bulldogs.

Georgia has been criticized for its soft schedule, but some of it is unfounded. They’ve been challenged with road games several times this season, so the environment won’t startle them.

Think about it:

  • When Georgia traveled to South Carolina on Sept. 8, the defending national runners-up were on upset alert. At the time, the Gamecocks were considered the biggest threat to the Bulldogs in the division and many national and regional experts thought South Carolina could win. Georgia handled the moment well, winning 41-17.
  • When Georgia traveled to Missouri, there was still the concern about quarterback Drew Lock going off on the Bulldogs. He is, after all, about to be a first-round NFL Draft pick. The Bulldogs were never threatened, and won 43-29.
  • Despite the outcome, Georgia certainly learned about adversity in the 36-16 loss at LSU. That experience will certainly help on Saturday night.
  • The neutral-site game in Jacksonville counts, too. Sure, it’s a 50/50 split with Florida fans, but it’s still traveling, still staying in hotels and still hearing the roars of opposing fans. Georgia handled that just fine last Saturday, as well.
  • And for the veterans, there are still great memories from 2017, the trip to Notre Dame, the SEC title game in Atlanta, and the two playoff games. So Saturday in Lexington, it’s really nothing new.
  • Georgia is 2-1 in true road games this season. The Dawgs were 4-1 last season and 3-1 in Smart’s first season. They’re comfortable quieting home crowds.

It’s something of a surprise to see that it’s Kentucky that stands in the way of Georgia. No one saw this coming, really. The Wildcats are ranked No. 11, and it’s only the third time in 38 years that they’re ranked so high. Football tradition is a century-old joke in Lexington, which is a basketball school first and foremost.

But Mark Stoops, patiently and proudly in his sixth season, has put it all together this year. Now, he’s just one massive step away.

“I’ve got a lot of respect for Mark (Stoops) and the job he’s done,” Smart said. “I think it’s really remarkable, and it shows the patience of an athletic department to stick with a guy who I think is one of the best coaches in all of college football,” Smart said. “He’s now put his roster together. He’s got a senior class that’s really incredible across the SEC.”

That veteran experience can make a difference in a game like this. Kentucky doesn’t know what it’s like to be winning football titles, but they’ve got a chance now.

“It’s a credit to what they’ve built, because when you build on the long-term and you have this many seniors in a group, any defense I’ve coached — or any team that I’ve been involved in coaching that has this many seniors — is usually pretty successful, because they’ve played in our conference,” Smart said. “Everybody wants to talk, ‘how many stars do they have, how many great recruits do they have?’ How many games have these guys played? You’re pretty successful when you play that many games.”