Texas and other teams are realizing that Georgia is still the top team in the Southeastern Conference.
Coach Kirby Smart’s 100th win in his nine seasons with the Bulldogs came from a strong defensive effort against No. 1 Texas, reminding everyone that his team started the season ranked at the top of the Associated Press college football poll.
“Look, we were able to win this game because of what we had done before this,” Smart said after their 30-15 victory over the Longhorns. “Like, going to Kentucky and playing, and going to Alabama and playing. We didn’t flinch. You don’t flinch when you’ve been in these battles.”
Texas learned this the hard way in one of the most highly anticipated home games in its history.
Georgia (6-1, 4-1 SEC) moved up three spots to No. 2 in the latest AP poll on Sunday, the highest-ranked team among the nine SEC teams. Texas (6-1, 2-1) dropped four spots to fifth, while No. 7 Tennessee and No. 8 LSU also made it into the top 10. Even with no undefeated teams, the SEC has four more teams in the Top 25 than any other conference.
The Bulldogs are heading into a break with a three-game winning streak since their 41-34 loss at Alabama on September 28, where they fell behind 28-0 in the first half but managed to take the lead in the closing minutes. This was their first regular-season loss since 2020, following a sluggish 13-12 win at Kentucky.
Texas averaged more than 495 total yards and 43 points per game in the first half of its league debut. However, they fell behind 23-0 and had only 38 total yards at halftime.
They finished the game with 259 yards and four turnovers against the Bulldogs, including fumbles from quarterbacks Quinn Ewers and Arch Manning. The Longhorns converted only 2 of 15 third downs and didn’t score on the two interceptions thrown by Carson Beck in the first quarter.
“I’ve played a lot of good teams during my time here. I mean, they’re definitely among the best when it comes to defensive coordinators, head coaches, and defensive strategies,” said Longhorns senior center Jake Majors, who has started 48 straight games. “They know how to come up with effective plans. As a team, we just need to watch the film and accept that we want those plays back.”
Georgia’s next three SEC games are scheduled for consecutive Saturdays in early November, starting with Florida, followed by a game at No. 18 Ole Miss, and then hosting the seventh-ranked Volunteers. The Bulldogs will wrap up the regular season with home games against UMass and Georgia Tech.
Texas now heads to No. 25 Vanderbilt, which will be playing its first SEC home game since a surprising 40-35 win over Alabama that knocked the Crimson Tide out of the No. 1 spot a week after they beat Georgia.
For now, the Longhorns are in a good position for a spot in the expanded 12-team playoff and still have a chance to make the SEC championship game.
“You know the beauty of this format? Losing a game like this doesn’t kill you. Everything we want is still in front of us,” Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said.
“The challenge for us is to regroup, get back up, and prepare for a Vanderbilt team next week that’s going to be eager to face us. We need to regain our momentum and finish the second phase of the season, aiming for a win to get back on track.”
