By 20 points? Are we crazy? Possibly. Borderline ridiculous, absurd, and potentially mental, likely. Except…
We’ve all been waiting for this clash since the schedule dropped. Texas has already stared down giants this season—the Buckeyes, the Gators, the Sooners—and frankly, any team in the SEC could topple the Longhorns on any given Saturday. But Georgia? They’re a different beast. Heading into Athens, in front of a sea of red-and-black faithful, feels like walking into the junkyard.
But Georgia, they are formidable. Add to that, Texas is storming into the Sanford Stadium — their house — in Athens, GA in front of their people to battle it out.
Two mastermind coaches with opposite geniuses, Steve Sarkisian on offense, Kirby Smart on defense. Both friends, but not on Saturday. We have to wonder who is pulling for whom from a personal standpoint.
Who does Nick Saban want to win? And what about Lane Kiffin? Neither would say, because they all love each other–but you know they’re all texting…
The analysts and odds makers give Georgia about a 68.6% chance of winning with Georgia a 6.5 point favorite. Yep, sounds like they even factored in humidity. Certainly seems reasonable.
Except…Texas enters 7-2 overall, with a gritty road mark that includes a comeback OT thriller at Kentucky (16-13)—proof they thrive in hostile spots. Yes, Georgia’s 8-1 but has trailed in six of their seven SEC games this year, rallying late in nail-biters like the 44-41 OT win over Tennessee and 43-35 home escape vs. Ole Miss. Georgia is vulnerable.
Sure, the Bulldogs fight like hell… but what if Texas dictates tempo early? The Bulldogs are consistent in winning in the most heinous of battles, fighting like dogs until the last microsecond on the clock. Plus, they are at home, if that even means anything at this point. They are Georgia. They could be playing off the coast of California on Catalina Island and they would likely win.
Have you ever watched Mike Tyson just before a boxing match? Did you notice his eyes, not allowing his opponent to escape his undivided focus? There is no doubt Tyson is going to unleash an ungodly amount of pain on his opponent.
Sarkisian has a tell. He looks and acts like Mike Tyson right now and is insanely focused on Georgia. So what, who cares about a look? This is Georgia we are talking about. Yeah, we’ve been here before…Alabama in 2023.
We suspect Sarkisian has a few items on his bucket list. Yes, a National Championship. That’s easy to expect:
- Beat Michigan (check),
- Beat Alabama (check),
- Beat Saban (check),
- Win the Big 12 Championship (check),
- Beat Georgia (unchecked),
- Beat Kirby Smart (unchecked),
- Beat Ole Miss (unchecked),
- Beat Lane Kiffin (unchecked),
- Win SEC Championship (unchecked),
- Win National Championship (unchecked)
Yes, we will take the arrows and insults for our prediction of Texas beating Georgia by 20 points in Athens.
We’re not following the models, the professional analysts, or the data wizards who peg Georgia at 68.6%.
The thing is, it’s not just Sarkisian who has this bone-chilling Mike Tyson-esque, inescapable zombie-like fixation–the players do as well.
We are taking Texas over Georgia by 20 points. Write this down.
Who’s with us? Tag a friend who’d lose their mind if this happens.
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