Icy weather didn't stop the Georgia Legislature from opening its 2018 session, though politics took a backseat to college football on the first day.

The state House and Senate convened Monday at the state Capitol in Atlanta even as freezing morning temperatures brought icy rain and slippery roads. The Georgia Constitution requires state lawmakers to open their annual session on the second Monday in January.

Election-year politics are expected to play a key role during the Legislature's 40-day session, which will be the last for term-limited Gov. Nathan Deal.

But lawmakers largely seemed focused on Atlanta hosting the national championship football showdown Monday night between the University of Georgia and University of Alabama. Legislators cheered the Georgia Bulldogs on the Senate floor, chanting: "Go, Dawgs! Sic 'em!"