SEC Insider Paul Finebaum delivers his Texas vs. Georgia verdict with bold prediction
The Texas Longhorns (6-0, 2-0 Southeastern Conference) and Georgia Bulldogs (5-1, 3-1) game will be on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas. It is one of the biggest games of the season, with a lot of fans expected to watch at the stadium or tune in on TV or radio.
On Wednesday's edition of ESPN's "Get Up," Paul Finebaum gave his prediction on who he thinks will win.
"I'm going with Texas," Finebaum said. "Even though Georgia has played a more competitive schedule, they beat Clemson early in the year handily, and they played Alabama to a one-score game in Tuscaloosa. I just don't like the vibes out of Carson Beck, and this Georgia defense has really let Kirby Smart down."
What's at stake for Texas and Georgia?
With both teams fighting for spots in the expanded College Football Playoff format, a game of this magnitude could make or break where a team falls on the bracket.
Texas Longhorns
A win against Georgia would make the No. 1 seed in the playoff Texas' to lose. Following this game, the only ranked team left on its schedule is No. 14-ranked Texas A&M in Week 14. Their other remaining games will be against Vanderbilt, Flordia, Arkansas and Kentucky — four games where Texas should be favored by multiple scores.
Beating the Bulldogs also sets the path to make Texas' game against Texas A&M a chance to potentially have an undefeated regular season.
Georgia Bulldogs
Any team making the CFP with two losses seems farfetched, even if those two losses are against top-ranked teams.
The Bulldogs lost to the Alabama Crimson Tide 41-34 on Sept. 28, in what was arguably Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe's strongest game of his career with 374 passing yards and two touchdowns.
If the Bulldogs beat the Longhorns, then their loss to the Tide is essentially erased in the eyes of the committee. But if they lose, then their season would go on life support as they would need to beat both No. 18-ranked Ole Miss and No. 11-ranked Tennessee convincingly.