The 2024 SEC Championship Game is set to deliver a highly anticipated rematch between the No. 2 Texas Longhorns (11-1) and the No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs (10-2) at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

  For UGA this is their seventh appearance in the last eight seasons, something no other team has accomplished.
For Texas, it’s their first appearance after entering the conference. They won the Big 12 Conference Championship in 2023.

  This clash not only crowns the conference champion but also carries significant College Football Playoff implications. Both teams are vying for a top-two seed and a first-round bye in the expanded 12-team playoff format.

It’s likely that both teams will make it into the playoffs, win or lose.

   The Coaches’ Perspectives: Georgia head coach Kirby Smart praised Texas for its impressive first season in the SEC and acknowledged the challenges posed by Steve Sarkisian’s Longhorns. Both were assistants at Alabama under Nick Sabin.

   “What a tremendous job he’s done there,” Smart said. “Getting them into this game is a gauntlet, and it’s a reward to play in it. Both teams have earned that.” He highlighted Texas’ physicality in the run game and their versatility on offense, noting that they “attach RPO pass game to those runs” and are adept at mixing tempos. Smart also emphasized the importance of winning the SEC title, even in the playoff era, stating, “It’s a significant marker to your season… It also gets you a bye and an opportunity to rest and recover while others play tough opponents.”

   Sarkisian brought some off-field drama by taking a jab at Georgia fans earlier this week. Commenting on ticket prices, Sarkisian remarked, “Tell me how much the ticket prices are and I can probably tell you how many Longhorns are going to be there,” implying that Georgia fans might not show up in force due to affordability concerns. But, reports are that ticket prices are much lower than last season.

   His comments have added fuel to an already intense matchup, with Georgia fans eager to prove him wrong by dominating attendance at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

  Key Storylines: A Rematch with Stakes: The Bulldogs defeated Texas 30-15 earlier this season in Austin. That loss remains Texas’ only blemish, and they’ve since rattled off five straight wins. Georgia, meanwhile, has rebounded from two midseason losses with three consecutive victories.

   The saying goes that its very difficult to beat a team twice. But, the hardest part is beating them once. To counter that, there have been seven rematches in the SEC Championship game history and the team that won the first regular season game was 5-2 with Smart being one of those.

   Experience vs. Momentum: Georgia is making its fourth straight SEC Championship Game appearance and boasts extensive postseason experience under Smart. Texas, however, enters with momentum as the No. 1 seed after winning more SEC games than any other team this season.

   Georgia is 4-7 in this game. But, six of those seven losses came against nemesis Sabin. Without him on the other sidelines, UGA is 4-1. For the record, on ESPN’s College Gameday, Sabin picked Texas. Vegas has the Horns as 2.5 point favorites coming into the game.

   Of importance will be if the Dawgs’ defensive line can have the same success as in the first matchup in Austin where they recorded seven sacks and had the QB on the run all game.

   Quarterback Duel: Both teams feature experienced quarterbacks who have been battle-tested in high-pressure environments. Smart praised Texas QB Quinn Ewers for his toughness and ability to make plays under duress: “He’s got tremendous experience and arm talent.”
  Expect to see a healthy dose of backup QB Arch Manning as well.

  On the other side, Georgia’s Carson Beck will look to avoid turnovers after throwing three interceptions in their October meeting. He has improved significantly in that stat since.

   Defensive Showdown: Texas’ defense has been a standout unit all season, allowing just 11.7 points per game—second nationally only to Ohio State 4. Georgia’s defense is no slouch either, having stifled Texas’ rushing attack in their first matchup.

   What’s at Stake: While both teams are projected to make the College Football Playoff regardless of the outcome, winning the SEC Championship offers critical advantages: an automatic playoff bid, a first-round bye, and improved seeding. The loser risks dropping into an at-large position and potentially facing tougher early-round matchups.

  Prediction: This game promises to be a defensive battle with limited scoring opportunities. Georgia will lean on its experience and home-field advantage in Atlanta, while Texas seeks revenge for its earlier loss. Expect both coaches to pull out all the stops in what could be one of the most competitive SEC title games in recent memory.

   As Smart put it: “You don’t win in the SEC with a beauty contest.” This game will likely come down to grit, execution, and which team can make critical plays when it matters most.

  Texas’ non-conference games were against teams like Colorado State, UTSA, ULM and a bad 7-5 Michigan team that did beat Ohio State, but fell off sharply from their 2023 National Championship season.

   Their SEC schedule was against most of the bottom feeders in Mississippi State, Oklahoma, Florida, Arkansas, Kentucky, Texas A&M and an improved Vanderbilt team.

  The Longhorns’ only quality opponent was UGA, who beat them at home seven weeks ago 30-15.

   So, it’s difficult to justify their lofty #2 national ranking based on strength of schedule. And, it’s difficult to realistically analyze how well they will perform in the SEC Championship Game against that same Georgia team that ran the gamut of the toughest schedule in the country.

  Of concern for Dawg fans is the way the defense has allowed teams to run up and down the field against them in recent games.

  I’m going with Georgia beating Texas again, this time 31-24.