No. 2 Texas and No. 5 Georgia are set to face off Saturday afternoon inside Atlanta, Georgia's Mercedes-Benz Stadium with the SEC's top prize on the line. This is also a rematch for the Longhorns and the Bulldogs, who met in Week 8 of the regular season.
Georgia walked out of Austin, Texas that day with an impressive 30-15 win, handing Texas its first -- and only -- setback of the 2024 season thus far. The Bulldogs led wire to wire and even held a 23-point advantage going into the third quarter. Texas scored all 15 of its points in the third frame but the Bulldogs were able to create some more distance in the fourth quarter to pad their win and pick up a huge résumé booster.
The loss lit a fire under Texas, which proceeded to rip off five straight wins -- four of which came by at least two possessions -- to lock down a spot in the SEC Championship Game. The Longhorns are one of five FBS programs to make it to a 2024 conference title game in their first year with said conference.
This is Georgia's fourth straight SEC Championship Game appearance and its seventh total under coach Kirby Smart. The Bulldogs have won just twice in those seven appearances, though coach Kirby Smart is 2-1 in SEC Championship Games that don't involve Alabama.
How to watch Georgia vs. Texas live
Date: Saturday, Dec. 7 | Time: 4 p.m. ET
Location: Mercedes-Benz Stadium -- Atlanta, Georgia
TV: ABC | Live stream: fubo (Try for free)
Georgia vs. Texas: Players to watch
Quinn Ewers, QB, Texas: Ewers is firmly entrenched as one of the most reliable signal callers in the nation, but his status entering the SEC Championship Game is worth watching. Ewers has been dealing with a nagging ankle injury over the past couple of weeks. He's been able to play through it, and even had a couple of nice runs in the season finale against Texas A&M, but Georgia's defense has the ability to hound him all game -- especially if franchise left tackle Kelvin Banks is unable to play. Also worth monitoring how Texas features Arch Manning in its game plan.
Arian Smith, WR, Georgia: Smith has quietly been one of the best big-play threats in the SEC this season. He currently leads the Bulldogs with 709 yards and his four touchdowns are tied for second on the team. He's averaging a brisk 16.9 yards per catch and boasts three receptions of at least 40 yards this season. Smith can stretch defenses, something that Texas' back end will have to take into account.
Gunnar Helm, TE, Texas: Helm has emerged this season as Texas' most reliable threat in the passing game. He leads the Longhorns with 48 catches for 600 yards and he also has five touchdowns, tied with wide receiver Isaiah Bond for second-most on the team. He has had two games with more than 90 yards receiving this season and tallied 102 total yards and two touchdowns in the last two weeks of the regular season.
Malaki Starks, DB, Georgia: A finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award -- presented annually to the top defensive back in college football -- Starks has been an impact player since the moment he stepped foot on campus. He has also flashed his versatility this year, as the Bulldogs have moved him to play slot corner in certain situations. That's resulted in 65 total tackles, four tackles for a loss, one interception and three pass breakups. He's a deep-field eraser with excellent speed and range.
Quintrevion Wisner, RB, Texas: Preseason injuries opened the door for Wisner to take on a bigger role in Texas' backfield, and he's taken full advantage with a strong campaign thus far. Wisner has been huge for Texas down the stretch. In the last two games of the regular season, he carried the ball 59 times for 344 yards and one touchdown, including a 186-yard performance in the finale against Texas A&M.
Jalon Walker Jr., EDGE, Georgia: Walker is a likely first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and he's widely regarded as one of the top defensive prospects in college football. He's certainly been Georgia's most effective pass rusher this year, on a defense absolutely loaded with high-end talent. He finished the regular season with 7.5 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks and six quarterback hits.
Georgia vs. Texas prediction, pick
This has all the makings of a low-scoring rock fight. Two inconsistent offenses will go up against two of the nation's most elite defenses. Texas did not allow an offensive touchdown against Texas A&M, while Georgia has held seven of its opponents -- including Texas -- to 20 points or fewer this year. Plus, Georgia and Texas scored a combined 45 points in their previous meeting, and that was in a rather lopsided affair. Though the point total is low, the under feels like a safe pick. Pick: Under 49.5 (-112)
SportsLine's proven computer model is calling for three outright upsets during college football's championship week. Visit SportsLine now to see them all, plus get spread picks for every game from the model that simulates every matchup 10,000 times.
