Georgia vs. Texas: Preview and Predictions For SEC Championship 2024

The Georgia Bulldogs and Texas Longhorns meet for the second time this season in the 2024 SEC Championship Game.

Georgia toppled Texas in Austin on October 19, but since then, the Bulldogs have opened up more questions about their performance.

Meanwhile, Texas rolled through the rest of its SEC schedule after the loss to UGA and it enters Atlanta as the No. 2 team in the College Football Playoff rankings.

Both teams are projected to make the playoff regardless of Saturday's result. They are both playing to improve their seeding in the 12-team bracket.

The SEC champion earns an automatic bid and a first-round bye. The loser faces a fascinating drop into the at-large positions.

Georgia's offensive consistency has to be its biggest concern going into Saturday night.

There have been too many points in the season where the Bulldogs' offense has been nonexistent.

That hurt the Bulldogs in their loss to the Alabama Crimson Tide. Bama rushed out to a 28-0 lead, and although UGA battled back, the second-half surge was too little, too late.

Georgia luckily found a way to recover from a sluggish start against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets last week. UGA was shutout at home in the first half, but rallied to force overtime and it eventually won in the eighth extra period.

UGA needs a strong start on Saturday to put Texas' defense under pressure, and in turn, force the Longhorns offense to make big plays of their own from the jump.

Another slow first half could be UGA's downfall because it is difficult to come back against the Longhorns defense.

Texas' defense has been its calling card over the last month.

The Longhorns held their last four opponents under 20 points and they turned in arguably their best performance of the season against the Texas A&M Aggies last week.

Texas held the Aggies without an offensive point. The only concession came on an interception return for a touchdown.

The improving defense is a reason for Texas to believe that it can contend for the national title after it gets past Georgia.

The Longhorns allowed 30 points to UGA in their first meeting, but their defense wasn't played off the field.

Texas held Carson Beck to 175 passing yards and did not allow a run over 20 yards. Those numbers make a win seem even more possible on Saturday as long as the Quinn Ewers-led offense finds a way through the UGA defense.

Texas 24, Georgia 17

Texas' defense is the best unit in the matchup at the moment.

The Longhorns should be able to contain Beck even better than they did in the first meeting in October.

If that is the case, UGA might not have many opportunities to get within 30 yards of the end zone and score points.

UGA's own offensive struggles could contribute to Texas' defensive showing as well. Beck has not been consistent enough to prove that he is a championship-winning quarterback.

Georgia's defense is no slouch in its own right, so it would not be surprising to see a low-scoring game in Atlanta.

Texas holds the edge at quarterback with Ewers over Beck and all it might take is one or two game-changing plays from the Longhorns signal-caller to wrap up a top-two seed in the playoff.

If UGA loses, it could be in danger of hosting a first-round game in the CFB Playoff.

At worst, Texas will host a first-round game as the No. 5 or No. 6 seed, but the Longhorns are more worried about landing a top-two seed, and if Penn State beats Oregon, they would be the No. 1 overall seed.