No. 1 Texas hosts No. 5 Georgia in a heavyweight battle at Darrell K. Royal Stadium in Austin, Texas. The primetime matchup is the highest-ranked battle at DKR since 2006. One week ago, Texas held rival Oklahoma without a single touchdown in a 34-3 decimation in the Red River Rivalry. The Longhorns are undefeated with wins over the blue-blood Sooners and Michigan and are currently the favorite on sports betting apps to win the national title with +350 odds, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
Georgia has a loss on its record after falling in a road battle against Alabama. In SEC play, the Bulldogs have been underwhelming, beating Mississippi State and Kentucky by a combined 11 points. Surprisingly, UGA is outside of the SEC’s top five in both total offense and defense, but the Bulldogs face a major opportunity to get back on track in front of a national audience.
Texas and Georgia have played only five times in history with the Longhorns holding a 4-1 advantage. In the only matchup since 1984, Texas shocked Georgia 28-21 at the Sugar Bowl to cap off the program’s only 10-win season of the 2010s. Needless to say, this battle is a little bigger.
How to watch Texas vs. Georgia live
Date: Saturday, Oct. 19 | Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Location: Darrell K. Royal Stadium — Austin, Texas
TV: ABC | Live stream: fubo (Try for free)
Texas vs. Georgia: Players to watch
Quinn Ewers, QB, Texas: Ewers was rusty in his return to action against Oklahoma, but the junior ranks among the nation’s best in his third year starting. The Southlake, Texas, native has thrown for 890 yards and nine touchdowns in three games and is hitting on a career high 72.2% of his passes. More importantly, Ewers gets up for big games. In wins over Michigan and Alabama over the past two years, Ewers threw for six touchdowns and zero interceptions. He is currently getting +1500 betting odds to win the Heisman Trophy, according to FanDuel.
Malaki Starks, DB, Georgia: Starks has done it all during a legendary All-American career in Athens. The future first round pick has racked up more than 150 tackles, 14 passes defended and six interceptions in three seasons — including a pick against Clemson in the opener. Starks provides an eraser on the back end to help lead a top 40 passing defense into battle.
Kelvin Banks, OT, Texas: Really, this is a nod to the entire Texas offensive line, which has arguably been the best in the nation in 2024. Despite shuffling between two quarterbacks with two skillsets, the Longhorns have given up just six sacks all year. Banks has been especially good, only giving up one pressure all season. His only penalty came against ULM. He’s on track to go in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Carson Beck, QB, Georgia: Beck was projected as one of the top quarterbacks in the country heading into the season. While his performance has been very good, his completion percentage, yards per attempt and passer rating are all down from a breakout 2023. He also has five interceptions in six games. In a tight win against Kentucky, Beck threw for only 160 yards and no touchdowns. The Georgia passing game needs to be at its best from the first quarter to compete with Texas.
Jahdae Barron, DB, Texas: Barron is one of the most improved players in the nation in his fifth year with the Longhorns. The senior earned Midseason All-America honors after allowing only 78 yards through six games this season while playing both outside and slot corner. In six games, Barron has broken up four passes, recovered a fumble and recorded 22 tackles for the No. 1 Longhorns.
Texas vs. Georgia prediction, pick
Texas has dominated its competition, winning every game by at least 19 points. Both its offense and defense rank top-five nationally in key advanced metrics and the Longhorns can win with almost any game script. For Georgia, the offense has been gettable when Beck isn’t connecting in the downfield passing game and the offensive line has been less consistent without OL Tate Ratledge in the lineup. Ultimately, betting-favorite Texas is just too much. Pick: Texas -3.5
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