No. 2 Texas goes for a title in its first season as an SEC member, facing No. 5 Georgia

No. 5 Georgia (10-2, 6-2 SEC, No. 5 CFP) vs. No. 2 Texas (11-1, 7-1, No. 2) at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Saturday, 4 p.m. EST (ABC)

BetMGM College Football Odds: Texas by 2 1/2

Series record: Texas leads 4-2

What’s at stake?

A Southeastern Conference championship and first-round bye in the College Football Playoff. The winning team advances straight to the quarterfinals at the Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Day, while the loser is expected to host a first-round game at its campus stadium on either Dec. 20 or 21. Georgia is playing in the SEC title game for the seventh time in Kirby Smart’s nine seasons as coach. Texas reached the championship game in its first season as an SEC member.

Key matchup

Georgia’s running game vs. Texas’ defensive front. The Bulldogs handed the Longhorns their only loss when the teams met Oct. 19 in Austin, using a strong running game led by Trevor Etienne in a 30-15 victory. But Etienne seems unlikely to play after missing the last three games with a rib injury. If Etienne can’t go, Georgia will rely on freshman Nate Frazier and Roderick Robinson, who missed most of the season with a toe injury before returning for last week’s eight-overtime victory against Georgia Tech.

Players to watch

Georgia: QB Carson Beck. In an up-and-down season, Beck got away with throwing three interceptions in the regular-season game against the Longhorns. He can’t expect to be that fortunate this time around, so the Bulldogs need a clean game out of their fifth-year quarterback.

Texas: LTs Kelvin Banks Jr. and Trevor Goosby. Banks is Texas’ Outland Trophy finalist and a likely high draft pick in the 2025 NFL draft. But he went out early with an injury in last week’s victory over Texas A&M.

Facts & figures

The SEC championship game was held at the Georgia Dome for 23 years before moving next door to Mercedes-Benz Stadium when it opened in 2017. … Texas is seeking its second straight conference title, having won the 2023 Big 12 championship game with a 49-21 romp over Oklahoma State before joining the SEC. … Texas RB Quintrevion Wisner has 344 yards rushing in the last two games at an average of 5.8 yards per carry. The Longhorns ran for only 29 yards against Georgia in the first matchup. … Even though Atlanta is considered a de facto home game for Georgia, the Bulldogs are only 4-7 in SEC titles games played in the state capital. … Georgia’s defense dominated in the regular-season victory over Texas.

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