If A&M had won, UGA would have been out. The UGA-Tech game was a nonfactor. I stopped watching the Bama-Barn game but understand it got close near the end.
UGA plays often in the MB dome. I attended one SEC CG with Bama a few years back and it was pretty loud on both sides. I don't know if playing often means anything or not, they just played there on Friday. They do get one more day of recovery.