Texas wasted no time making its presence felt in the mighty Southeastern Conference.
In their debut as a member of the powerhouse league, the posted the best regular-season record and earned a spot in the SEC championship game Saturday.
鈥淣ot a lot of teams can go into a league their first year 鈥� especially the SEC 鈥� and get a chance to play for the championship,鈥� Texas running back Jaydon Blue crowed.
In an intriguing matchup between the brash newcomer and a stellar member of the old guard, Texas (11-1, 7-1 SEC, No. 2 ) will face No. 5 Georgia (10-2, 6-2, No. 5 CFP) at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
The Bulldogs are playing in the title game for the seventh time in nine seasons under coach Kirby Smart, who has won and established Georgia as the dynasty everyone else is chasing.
Adding more fuel to the fire, the Dawgs handed Texas its only loss during the regular season with in Austin back in mid-October.
鈥淕eorgia and Kirby have been the standard in college football,鈥� Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian said. "Georgia has got the heart of a champion and you see it time and time again.鈥�
No matter the outcome in the A-T-L, both teams are headed to the College Football Playoff.
But there's still plenty on the line, with the winner claiming both a coveted SEC championship and a trip straight to the Sugar Bowl for the national quarterfinals on New Year's Day.
The loser will be saddled with an extra playoff game, likely hosting a first-round contest on either Dec. 20 or 21.
鈥淚t's an opportunity to rest and recover while others are playing formidable opponents,鈥� Smart said. "It removes you from that.鈥�
Longhorns vs. Dawgs, Part II
Texas is eager to atone for its only loss of the season, that ugly performance against Georgia when the Longhorns were ranked No. 1.
鈥淲e鈥檙e going to have to play a better version of football than the first time around,鈥� Sarkisian said. 鈥淲e were out of character, out of sorts.鈥�
It was the most lopsided loss for a No. 1 team at home in 42 years.
鈥淭hey deserve to get our best shot,鈥� Sarkisian said. "I know we鈥檙e going to get their best shot.鈥�
Quarterback duel
Both starting quarterbacks will be looking for better performances than they showed in the first matchup.
Georgia won despite Carson Beck tossing three interceptions, while Quinn Ewers of Texas had two fumbles to go along with a pick.
Also keep an eye on Texas backup Arch Manning, who came on in to run for a touchdown on fourth down. With Ewers still nursing a sprained ankle, Manning could provide an intriguing change of pace with both his arm and his legs.
鈥淗e鈥檚 a really good athlete that can take off and run at any time, which is the toughest guy to defend," Smart said. 鈥淚鈥檇 much rather have a guy that only runs than a guy that does both.鈥�
Injury report
Trevor Etienne rushed for three touchdowns in the first meeting with Texas, but he's missed three straight games with a rib injury and was listed as questionable for Saturday.
Georgia has also been without defensive lineman Christen Miller, who is dealing with a shoulder injury. Without Miller, the Bulldogs surrendered a season-high 260 rushing yards in .
Texas could be missing Outland Trophy finalist Kelvin Banks Jr., who went down last week with a leg injury after just seven plays.
Freshman Trevor Goosby will start at the crucial left tackle position if Banks can鈥檛 go 鈥� and be on the firing line against a Georgia defense that bullied the Longhorns for seven sacks in October, two of which resulted in fumbles.
Run, Texas, run
Texas had just 29 yards rushing the last time out against Georgia, but the Longhorns run game has been dominant of late.
Quintrevion Wisner has emerged as the go-to back with 344 yards in the last two games, averaging 5.8 yards per carry.
鈥淲hen you have 30-40 carries in multiple games, there is a great commitment to the run," Smart said. "They鈥檙e extremely physical, they鈥檝e got really good backs, their offensive line is massive and the quarterback does a great job putting them in the right runs.鈥�
Georgia in the A-T-L
While Mercedes-Benz Stadium is only about a 75-mile drive from the Georgia campus, making this a de facto home game for the Bulldogs, that when playing for the SEC title.
The Bulldogs are only 2-4 in conference championship games played at the Benz, not to mention an overtime loss to Alabama in the at the end of the 2017 season.
Going back to the years when the Georgia Dome hosted the SEC championship, the Bulldogs are just 4-7 in Atlanta with the league championship on the line.
鈥淲e're essentially playing a road game,鈥� Sarkisian said. 鈥淏ut I do expect a good amount of burnt orange to be there.鈥�
