This game means everything for Kentucky. Here’s how Cats prepare for epic day.

Both head coaches talked all week about consistency, about normalcy, about the process.

“We’re going through the same process we go through every week,” said Georgia Coach Kirby Smart, whose team has played in championship games in recent history, whose group knows a thing or two about big games. “When you change the process, it makes them think that some games aren’t as important as others. They’re all important.”

And even though Mark Stoops’ group has never been in this position: Playing for a Southeastern Conference East Division football championship, Kentucky’s coach has tried to maintain the mundane this week, too.

“Obviously the situation is a little different than it’s been,” Stoops said. “We’ll talk about that, but our approach will be the exact same.”

No. 9 Kentucky stuck to its regular practice schedules, its regular meetings, its regular media briefings this week in preparation for the sixth-ranked Bulldogs (7-1, 5-1 SEC).

“The situation, it is what it is,” Stoops continued. “They’ve worked hard to put themselves in that position, but we just got to stay consistent and be the best version of ourselves we can be.”

It’s not that Stoops is discouraging his players from being excited. Whatever UK’s players need to motivate them for Saturday’s game at Kroger Field is fine with him.

“But the preparation needs to stay the exact same and our approach,” he said. “We’ll be consistent in our approach, and we’ll do the same things we do every week.”

For its part, Kentucky has been able to block out the distractions and focus on the task at hand. It’s something this group has been good at doing with so many returning players and veteran leaders, UK’s players said all week.

They’re trying to remain steady while embracing a moment.

“We can’t add extra pressure on ourselves,” linebacker Kash Daniel said. “We know what’s at stake and we know what’s riding on this game, but we can’t let that be our sole motivating factor.

“But with big games like this, it’s important to go into it just thinking it’s a normal game because if you try to overdo it, that’s when mistakes happen and guys pop gaps and stuff like that.”

Georgia’s head coach discussed the value of having already played in big games like this one, but Smart pooh-poohed the notion that the moment might be too big for Kentucky (7-1, 5-1).

“Big-game experience is valuable, but I also think (Kentucky) has played in big games,” Smart said. “They’ve had a good team now, for two or three years, they’ve been in the hunt. I felt like the game that we played up there two years ago was a big game. They had a great atmosphere, a really good crowd.

“They’ve got a lot of experience. Every game is relative of what you think of it. So every time they play an SEC opponent, we play an SEC opponent, it’s a big game. They’ve got seniors who have played in a lot more games than some of our younger players.”

After a quarter or two, the big-game high wears off and teams have to just play.

“This is the biggest game I’ve ever played in. I’m excited,” UK’s Daniel said.

But it hasn’t kept him or his Cats teammates from preparing the right way all week.

“This is what we’ve worked for year in and year out to get to the top 10, get recognition I think we’ve earned,” the junior said. “A lot of people hate that, but we’re here.”