WHERE: Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, Austin, Tex.

WHEN: Saturday, 7:30 p.m.

RECORDS: Georgia 5-1, 3-1; Texas 6-0, 2-0

TV/RADIO: ESPN (Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, Holly Rowe); Westwood One (Nater Gatter, Derek Rackley); Georgia Bulldog Radio Network (Scott Howard, Eric Zeier, DJ Shockley); Sirius XM (82).

When the new SEC schedule was released, fans circled Saturday night’s game in Austin, Texas, with a big red Sharpie.

You'd better check your pulse if you’re not excited about this game.

It’s an opportunity for both teams to make a statement.

For top-ranked Texas, it’s the chance to convince whatever doubters may still be out there that the Longhorns’ fast start is no fluke. Taking down one of the top blue-blood programs in the sport, not just the SEC, would be huge.

The Longhorns look to have a complete team – offensively, defensively, and special teams.

For Georgia, the stakes are a little bit higher.

With their loss to Alabama, the Bulldogs need a victory to keep from placing themselves in a must-win situation the rest of the season if they hope to earn a spot in the 12-team college football playoffs.

So, can Georgia make it happen?

The only thing consistent about Georgia has been its inconsistencies as the Bulldogs have yet to enjoy a game where they’ve put together four solid quarters.

We’ve seen signs.

If the Bulldogs could bottle the second half against Clemson and the second half against Alabama, Georgia would be onto something.

Such an effort would be welcomed Saturday night.

Texas is legit. Don’t let their schedule fool you. Though some like to knock who the Longhorns have played, those same comments were being uttered about Georgia’s schedule in 2022. We all know what happened then.

The key for the Bulldogs starts at quarterback. Carson Beck will have to have a good game. No ifs there.

If Beck can avoid turnovers, Georgia will move the ball. They’ll need it against a Texas team that features a pretty good quarterback of its own in Quinn Ewers, who boasts what may be the deepest group of wide receivers Georgia sees this year.

This one should be fun to watch.

The eyes of Texas won’t be the only one on this game – the entire country will, as it’s sure to be one of the most-watch games of the regular season.

Georgia: QB Carson Beck, RB Trevor Etienne, RB Nate Frazier, WR Dom Lovett, WR Dillon Bell, WR Arian Smith, DE Mykel Williams, LB Jalon Walker, S Malaki Starks, N Nazir Stackhouse, LB Chaz Chambliss.

Texas: QB Quinn Ewers, QB Arch Manning, RB Jayden Blue, RB Quinton Wisner, WR Isaiah Bond, TE Gunnar Helm, WR Ryan Wingo, WR Matthew Golden, LB Anthony Hill, LB David Gbenda, LB Colin Simmons.

Start faster: Georgia fell behind 28-0 at Alabama. If that happens against Texas, this one’s over. The Longhorns are going to try and hit the Bulldogs with an early offensive assault, and it will be imperative for Georgia to hold its ground.

No mistakes: Obviously. To beat the caliber of Texas in its stadium, turnovers will have to be kept to a minimum. None would be preferable.

Start winning some 50-50 battles: I’m looking at you, Bulldog secondary. You can bet all the BBQ in Austin that the Longhorns are going to try and take advantage of what’s been a porous secondary for the Bulldogs. Kirby Smart mentioned last week that his defensive backs won only one 50-50 battle all game against Mississippi State. A similar effort against Texas could prove fatal.

Get Quinn Ewers into an early rhythm: Texas feels it can throw the ball on Georgia. Why not? After what we’ve seen recently, the Longhorns should feel confident and will look to exploit the Bulldogs’ secondary as often as they can. If Texas wins the toss, don’t be surprised if the Longhorns take the ball.

Run the ball: Georgia has done a decent job against the run this year, although teams have hurt the Bulldogs on the edge from time to time. But Texas needs to run the ball to make it easier on Ewers. Although Ewers’ numbers are actually more impressive with opposing teams trying to put on the pressure, the Longhorns would prefer he has a clean pocket. A solid run game will help Texas accomplish that.

Keep an eye out for trick plays: Georgia doesn’t do a ton of trick plays. But when the Bulldogs do, it’s usually games like this when they try to catch an opponent off guard.

Georgia

RB Roderick Robinson – Out

RB Branson Robinson – Out

LB Smael Mondon – Out

DL Joseph Jonah-Ajonya - Out

OL Tate Ratledge – Questionable

OL Jared Wilson – Probable

DL Jordan Hall – Probable

Texas

DB Derek Williams – Out

RB CJ Baxter – Out

RB Christian Clark – Out

RB Velton Gardner – Out

OL Trevor Goolsby – Out

WR Isaiah Bond – Probable

…Quarterback Carson Beck tied a school record with 36 completions in Georgia's win over Mississippi State, career-high 459 yards ranks 3rd in school history, most since Eric Zeier had 485 vs. South Carolina in 1994.

…Georgia’s top running backs are Trevor Etienne, Branson Robinson, Cash Jones, and freshman Nate Frazier. Etienne has a team-high 335 yards (5.3 avg.) and four touchdowns. The longest Bulldog rush belongs to wideout Anthony Evans III (52 vs. Mississippi State).

…Beck’s top targets have been senior Dominic Lovett (27-for-302 yards, two touchdowns), senior Arian Smith (23-for-412 yards, three touchdowns), and junior Dillon Bell (23-for-298 yards, four touchdowns). Also, Bell has 54 yards rushing on four attempts including a 3-yarder for a score at Alabama.

…Mykel Williams, Nazir Stackhouse, Warren Brinson, Christen Miller, and Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins anchor the front while several freshmen have seen action too. Williams and Brinson missed two games due to ankle injuries and returned against Alabama. Ingram-Dawkins made his first career start against Tennessee Tech and responded with a career-high four tackles including three tackles for loss. Against Kentucky, Ingram-Dawkins had three tackles, a sack, and seven quarterback pressures to earn SEC DL of the Week. He had two sacks in the win over Auburn.

…Kirby Smart aims to join a select group of head coaches who have been the fastest to reach the century mark in their careers. Smart enters the game against top-ranked Texas with a 99-17 record in his ninth season.

…Saturday’s game between No. 1/1 Texas vs. No. 5/5 Georgia will mark just the third meeting of top-5 teams at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. It’s the first since 2006 when No. 1 Ohio State defeated No. 2 Texas, 24-7. The only previous top-5 matchup at the Longhorns' home stadium came in 1970, when No. 1 Texas knocked off No. 4 Arkansas, 42-7. It will also mark the 18th time a top-5 team has played at DKR-TMS.

…Texas is 15-2 at home over the last three seasons with its only two losses to top-4 ranked foes (No. 1/1 Alabama in 2022 and No. 4/4 TCU in 2022). The Horns have won eight straight regular season conference matchups, dating back to Oct. 21, 2023.

…Through six games this season, the Texas offense under Steve Sarkisian is averaging 495.7 yards per game and 7.2 yards per play. The yards per game is tracking close to the Texas single-season record set in 2005 (512.1) The yards per play would be on pace to be second behind only the 1993 team (7.44). Last season’s offense finished third (477.5) and fourth (6.67) in those categories, respectively. The current 306.67 passing yards per game is also inching close to a UT single-season record, held by the 2008 team (308.3).

…Quarterback Quinn Ewers is one of four returning Power 4 conference quarterbacks to throw for at least 3,400 yards and register 20 or more passing touchdowns in 2023 (Oregon's Dillon Gabriel, Georgia's Carson Beck, and Miami's Cam Ward). Ewers and Beck are the only returning SEC quarterbacks to accomplish that feat last season.

…Several Longhorn freshmen have made an immediate impact this season. per Pro Football Focus (PFF), Texas EDGE Colin Simmons is the highest-graded true freshman in college football this season. Wide receiver Ryan Wingo was named the second-highest-graded true freshman in the country this season. Simmons is second on UT in sacks with 4.0 and tackles for loss with 7.5 this season. He's second on the squad in quarterback hurries with four and fifth on the team in total tackles (18).

Texas critics will point to the Longhorns’ schedule to date not being the most difficult. Compared to Georgia, that may be true. But give the Longhorns credit where it’s due. Some of the same things some folks are saying about Texas’ schedule are similar to what some were saying about Georgia’s in 2022. We all know what happened then. Georgia has a chance, but so far, we haven’t seen the consistency from the Bulldogs that gives you a ton of confidence: Prediction – Texas 42, Georgia 28.