By DAVID JONES
Florida Today

How much of a difference does two months make? LSU and Georgia are about to find out.

The two teams meet tonight in the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta in a rematch of their Sept. 20 battle in Baton Rouge, which LSU won 17-10.

At stake for the 11-1 Western Division champion Tigers: a possible shot at playing for the national title in the Sugar Bowl.

"We're not really focused much on that," LSU coach Nick Saban said of the Bowl Championship Series rankings. "We have a system in place that determines who the two best teams are. We did the best we could in the games we had. Everybody could come up with quirks in this system, but it's the system we have. Our primary focus is on the games we play. It certainly won't make any difference if we don't play our best football."

The No. 3 Tigers have an outside chance at moving past Southern California for the No. 2 spot in the BCS rankings with a big win. Top-ranked Oklahoma could also get knocked off in the Big 12 Championship. So there's hope.

The Eastern Division champion Bulldogs (10-2) have no shot at getting to New Orleans, but are after their second straight SEC title.

"They have a lot to play for, no doubt," Georgia coach Mark Richt said of LSU. "They're still in the race (for a national championship), without question. But we have a lot to play for, too. The SEC championship, that's huge. Anybody who wins our league championship has had a tremendous year."

The Bulldogs are excited about a second chance at the Tigers.

"It's good to play a team that you already lost to," Georgia safety Sean Jones said. "It's always big for any team. We're just very thankful to be in it."

"I know they're going to be ready for us. We're going to have to play our best game to beat them. I think it's hard to beat a team twice in one season. But LSU is playing their best ball of the year."

The Tigers, who suffered their only loss at home against Florida, have had a record-setting season, breaking the school standard for most points (282) and touchdowns (58). They lead the league in both scoring offense (35.0 points a game) and defense (10.6 allowed).

LSU quarterback Matt Mauck believes both teams are improved from the first meeting.

He'll be facing the SEC's No. 2 scoring defense.

"Obviously, we feel more confident," he said. "I know Georgia probably feels the exact same way about their defense."

The Bulldogs' fans will only have to make the short drive from Athens to Atlanta, so the crowd figures to be filled with red and black.

"I think we have a slight advantage," Jones said. "It's basically a home game for us, but we can't look at it that way. We have to keep everything on the field. It doesn't matter what happens in the crowd. (What matters is) what happens on the field."

The game will also feature two of the SEC's premier quarterbacks. Only Mississippi's Eli Manning threw for more yards this season than David Greene (231.8 a game), who won an SEC title last year for Georgia. LSU's Mauck ranks fourth in the league in passing and total offense.

"He just makes all the right decisions," LSU wide receiver Michael Clayton said. "At the beginning of the season, he was overlooked."

Greene thinks playing in last year's championship has prepared him for the second time around. He threw for 237 yards and a TD to earn last year's SEC championship MVP.