WATCH: Nick Saban feeds "ultimate disrespect" lessons to Alabama squad before SEC championship faceoff against Georgia

In a fiery pre-SEC championship speech, Alabama coach Nick Saban motivated his squad before they took the field against the No. 1 Georgia. He fueled his squad with spirit as he tried countering what he termed the "ultimate disrespect" from Georgia head coach Kirby Smart.

The two coaching giants have met five times, with four coming in championship games. Apart from the narrative built around this fixture, the Alabama vs Georgia game has serious playoff implications.

With the SEC championship on the line, Saban is already lobbying for a spot in the College Football Playoff if Alabama triumphs over Georgia. Saban's daughter, Kristen Saban, shared a snippet of her father's motivational monologue on social media, where he said,

“Alright! Kirby says we ain't what we used to be. I want to prove something different. And I don't want to see a smile on that face after the game, and the other thing is, the ultimate disrespect is when someone takes what's yours. This is our game, our job.”

Nick Saban and his team faced an early season loss to the Texas Longhorns but have not looked back since then. Boasting an 11-1 record in the SEC, the Crimson Tide are fresh from a thrilling victory over the Auburn Tigers.

Kirby Smart and Nick Saban go way back

Kirby Smart and Nick Saban are two coaching titans with a history dating back nearly two decades. Their coaching journey began when Saban hired Smart under his tutelage as a defensive backs coach at LSU.

The breakthrough in Power Five coaching was important for Kirby Smart, who took it with both hands. Smart later joined Nick Saban in the NFL as a safeties coach at the Miami Dolphins before a nine-season stint as Alabama's defensive coordinator.

Back in 2019, Smart spoke about the relationship they shared:

“We have a great relationship. We’re not texting and calling each other buddy, buddy, but I’m not doing that with anybody. So that’s not to be of mention. I got a lot of respect for him. I wouldn’t be where I am today without him, and there’s no problem with our relationship.”

Saban, too, expressed admiration for Smart after losing the national championship to the Georgia Bulldogs in 2021. He said,

“I think Kirby has a lot of respect for us. He did a great job for us for a long time. If we had to lose a national championship, I’d rather lose one to one of the former assistants who certainly did a great job for us and has done a great job for his program and his team.”

Since their last face-off in 2021, Smart has secured back-to-back national titles while surpassing Nick Saban for the SEC record for most wins through 100 games.