College football heavyweights square off Saturday night in Austin as the Georgia Bulldogs battle the Texas Longhorns in a Southeastern Conference showdown. This has been one of the most heavily anticipated games since the schedule was released prior to the season.

These are two of the elite programs in the country. On college football’s all-time wins list, Texas ranks fourth. Georgia is ninth.

With the Bulldogs winning back-to-back national championships under Kirby Smart’s watch in 2021 and 2022 along with going 13-1 last season to finish in the top seven for a seventh consecutive campaign, the Bulldogs have been the standard in college football. Steve Sarkisian has led Texas back amongst the country’s best, highlighted by College Football Playoff berth and conference title in the Longhorns final year in the Big XII.

Texas is flying in at 6-0 and 2-0 in the SEC. The Longhorns are ranked No. 1 in the land, coming off a 34-3 demolition of arch-rival Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry. Quinn Ewers, back from injury, started under center in Dallas against the Sooners. Arch Manning had stepped in and played very well. Against the Sooners, Ewers threw for 199 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Texas packed a powerful ground attack in Dallas. Quintrevion Wisner was tremendous against Oklahoma, carrying 13 times for 118 yards.

Georgia is 5-1 and 3-1 in SEC play. The Bulldogs beat Mississippi State 41-31 this past weekend on Dooley Field at Sanford Stadium, extending the program’s record home winning streak to 28 games, which is also the longest active stretch in the country. State was off the week prior. On September 28, the ‘Horns beat MSU 35-13 in Austin. The Maroon Bulldogs of Starkville are the lone common opponent for the Bulldogs and Longhorns.

This will be just the sixth all-time meeting between these two storied programs, and first regular season matchup since Texas defeated Georgia 13-8 in Austin to open the 1958 campaign.

Texas has won four of the previous five against Georgia, including the most recent meeting, a 28-21 Sugar Bowl victory on New Year’s Night 2019. Three of the five games between the two have come in major bowl games. Texas defeated Georgia’s SEC championship team of 1948 in the Orange Bowl 41-28 on New Year’s Day 1949, and the Bulldogs upset the undefeated Longhorns for an unforgettable 10-9 victory in the Cotton Bowl on January 2, 1984.

For many years, Texas was the king of the Southwest Conference, then second to Oklahoma for most of its time in the Big XII. Now the Longhorns aim for that signature victory over Georgia here in their first year of SEC play.

For Georgia, an upset of the Longhorns would be enormous for the Bulldogs playoff hopes. A loss would not be the end, but it would leave the Bulldogs little margin for error in the quest for one of those 12 coveted spots.