For the first time since 2008, Georgia will take the field as the No. 1 ranked team in the AP Poll when it hosts No. 11 Kentucky between the hedges on Saturday.

The Bulldogs, who haven’t found themselves atop the media poll since being ranked as the preseason No. 1 13 years ago, will be in search of a victory to take a firm hold of the SEC East race and remain well in the hunt for their first College Football Playoff bid since 2017, while the Wildcats can vault themselves into the CFP discussion with an upset, something that seemed improbable before the season began.

And with ESPN’s “College GameDay” in town before a 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff, Bulldogs fans won’t need much motivation to create a feverish environment at Sanford Stadium in their team’s final game before the open week. Still, Kirby Smart wants to be sure they get the message, anyway.

“Their impact could be the difference in the game,” he said on Wednesday. “You can’t be apathetic as a fan. This is a high, high-quality football team and we need the extra advantage of playing at home just like what we went up against last week at Auburn. We need that same advantage this week.”

Georgia and Kentucky will be televised on CBS on Saturday beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET.