They really, really don't need reminding.
In each of the past two football seasons, the Georgia Bulldogs have had their national championship aspirations dashed by Alabama. In each of those memorable games against the Crimson Tide, the Bulldogs built double-digit leads before eventually losing in dramatic fashion.
Were it not for Alabama, the Bulldogs could be seeking a third consecutive national championship, but the reality is that 1980 remains the only season in which Georgia was No. 1 in the final Associated Press rankings.
"You can't dwell on the past," Bulldogs senior safety J.R. Reed said. "I've been playing for a long time and part of this program for a long time. We lost on a 'Hail Mary' to Tennessee my first year here, but we couldn't dwell on that, and we lost to Vanderbilt at home on homecoming that same year. Those are games that happen, but you can't dwell on them.
"What you do is learn from them. You see your mistakes when you watch the film, and you figure out how you can get better. You move on and focus on the next game or the next season."
Georgia held its 12th preseason practice Thursday, working out for two hours.
The last two offseasons in Athens have left the Bulldogs seeing a lot of Crimson. Georgia led Alabama 20-7 midway through the third quarter of the national title game of the 2017 season, but the Crimson Tide roared back for a 26-23 overtime triumph behind backup quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
Last December, the two programs met again in the Southeastern Conference championship game, and the Bulldogs built two-touchdown leads at 21-7 and 28-14. Again Alabama rallied, this time pulling out a 35-28 thriller behind backup quarterback Jalen Hurts.
"We've just got to get over the hump," Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. "The bottom line is simple - you've got to finish what you started. The game is played for four quarters, and sometimes there is overtime. We've got to do a better job as coaches making sure we have a plan to finish the game in the second half.
"Give them credit. They've got good football players, and they did a good job. I've got a lot of respect for their program, but I've also got a lot of respect for ours and how far we've come."
In their last two encounters, the Tide have outscored the Bulldogs in the fourth quarter by a combined 24-0.
"I don't think defensively that we played real well in the second half of either game, certainly not as well as we played in the first half," Smart said. "I don't think it's anything about play-calling or taking it easy. They played better defensively than they had prior to that, and they stepped up.
"At the end of the day, they knew how to win in the end."
The Bulldogs have assembled talent at a similar rate to Alabama the past three recruiting cycles. Georgia would appear to have an offensive line superior to the Tide entering this season, while Alabama has an overwhelming edge in experience at receiver.
Alabama and Georgia will not meet in the regular season until next year, but they are widely expected to meet again this December for the league title.
"It really just comes down to playing better when that time comes," Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm said. "Right now, we're looking forward and are focused on the season. Hopefully we can have a good camp and then worry about Vanderbilt."
Said Smart: "We're not going to define our season by Alabama. We're going to define our season by how we play."
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.