Georgia Bulldogs vs. Texas Longhorns Pick & Prediction OCTOBER 19th 2024

Preview and Prediction

The highly-ranked No. 1 Texas team is on a mission to reclaim their spot in the national championship race. This Saturday, they will face off against No. 5 Georgia in Austin, Texas in what is sure to be an exciting Southeastern Conference matchup.

This will be the first time that SEC newcomer Texas (6-0, 2-0) will host a ranked opponent, while Georgia will be facing the top-ranked team in the regular season for the first time since their loss to No. 1 Florida in 2009 (41-17). With both teams currently in the top 5, this game holds historical significance and could potentially impact the postseason rankings in the highly competitive SEC.

Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian views this game as an opportunity for Texas to make a statement and solidify their place in the SEC. Georgia, on the other hand, has an impressive record of winning 44 out of their last 45 regular-season games and has been ranked in the top 10 for 57 consecutive weeks.

Sarkisian expressed his excitement for this matchup, stating, "You love those games that serve as a measuring stick or a barometer for where you are at in the season. This is against a really good team that has been in national championship and conference championship games and has consistently performed at a high level. It's a chance for us to see if what we do on a regular basis is good enough."

Texas is coming off a dominant 34-3 victory over then-No. 18 Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry, giving them their best start since 2009 when they won their first 13 games before falling to Alabama in the BCS National Championship Game.

The return of quarterback Quinn Ewers was a welcome sight for the Longhorns last week. After suffering an oblique strain on September 14th, Ewers made his comeback and threw for 199 yards, a touchdown, and an interception, while also scoring a rushing touchdown.

Georgia (5-1, 3-1) has a strong track record of winning, with their current senior class boasting a record of 47-3. However, they will enter Saturday's game as the underdogs following their 41-34 loss to Alabama. The Bulldogs have since bounced back with two consecutive SEC victories over Auburn (31-13) and Mississippi State (41-31).

Despite their recent wins, Georgia head coach Kirby Smart knows his team needs to improve in order to compete against Texas and make a statement in the College Football Playoff race. He stated, "I want them to play their best game against Texas. We have not played our best game yet, and that's every coach's goal - to play your best game moving forward."

Quarterback Carson Beck has been a key player for Georgia in recent weeks, throwing for 459 yards in their last game, which is the third-highest single-game total in Georgia history. His 1,818 passing yards currently rank ninth in the nation.

Smart sees similarities between Beck and Ewers, stating, "I think the comparisons between him and Carson (Beck) are so similar in terms of the kind of quarterbacks they are. They're both better athletes than people think, they both have awareness of coverage, and they're really good in the pocket."

This will be the sixth meeting between these two programs, with Texas holding a 4-1 record. In their most recent matchup in the 2019 Sugar Bowl, Texas came out on top with a 28-21 victory. The only other time Georgia has traveled to Austin was in 1957, where they lost to the Longhorns 13-8.

PREDICTION

Georgia Bulldogs

Texas Longhorns