No. 1 Texas and No. 5 Georgia square off on Saturday for the first time as SEC members, with both top-10 schools looking to boost their conference standing as the initial rankings for the 12-team College Football Playoff draw near next month.
The Longhorns are tied with No. 8 LSU at 2-0 with both just a half-game behind first-place and No. 14 Texas A&M in the win column. The Bulldogs also have three league wins but are a half-game back in the loss column.
Texas is 6-0 for the first time since 2009 and coming off last week’s 34-3 blowout in Dallas of rival Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry. The Longhorns have cruised in league play since rising to No. 1 last month, dominating last-place Mississippi State and the Sooners by a 69-16 combined margin. Quarterback Quinn Ewers returned from an abdominal strain to pass for 199 yards and a touchdown along with running for another score, but Texas linebacker Anthony Hill was the star with 11 tackles (seven solo), two sacks, 3.5 tackles for loss and a forced fumble in the win.
Meanwhile, Georgia jumped all over last-place Mississippi State early before being outscored 21-7 in the second half and holding on for a 41-31 victory. Quarterback Carson Beck threw for a career-high 459 yards and three touchdowns in the win as the Bulldogs totaled a season-high 605 yards.
Texas leads the series 4-1, most recently a 28-21 Sugar Bowl victory over the Dawgs during the 2018 season.
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