Our staff roundtable predicts Saturday’s game along with College Football Playoff scenarios, Mt. Rushmore of Texas QB’s, and more!
It wasn’t a perfect game for quarterback Quinn Ewers, but QB1 gritted it out despite a high-ankle sprain and has taken Texas to two straight conference championship games and two berths in the College Football Playoff. Is he on the Mt. Rushmore of Texas QBs now?
Daniel Seahorn (@DanielSeahorn) – This is a tough one, but I lean towards no. Ewers certainly has played and won some big games and leading Texas to the playoffs in consecutive seasons looks great on the resume, but I think he will need to bring home some kind of hardware for him to cement his place on the Texas quarterback Mount Rushmore.
Gerald Goodridge (@ghgoodridge) – I think it’s hard to decide and depends on what you want out of your quarterbacks. As it stands right now, he trails Colt McCoy in individual accolades and records but has the same number of conference championships as a guy we consider one of the GOATs. My gut tells me no, but I won’t begrudge anyone who argues for him to be on Mt. Rushmore. We might have a different conversation on Sunday if Texas wins an SEC title and he is solid in the game.
Cameron Parker (@camerondparker) – Let’s start with who is currently on Mt. Rushmore. VY and Colt are obvious but who are the other two? Bobby Lane and Sam Ehlinger? Is James Brown on there? James Street? Quinn Ewers has a 24-7 record as a starter, a Big 12 Conference Championship, and at least one College Football Playoff berth that will likely be two. If Texas wins the SEC Championship he’ll have two conference championships and the last Texas quarterback to achieve that feat was James Brown. Ewers is also 3rd in career passing touchdowns and 4th in passing yards at Texas. He’s 391 yards away from passing Major Applewhite for 3rd on the all-time passing yard list. Ewers should pass Major with at least two games left in the season. I would throw him on Mt. Rushmore and a National Championship would cement his legacy at Texas.
Jacob Neidig (@jneidig_2) – I want to say yes but I don’t think it’s cemented. He’s right on the cusp in my opinion and how the rest of the season plays out has a chance to swing it in either direction. Ewers lacks some of the individual award recognition that Vince and Colt garnered and the production that underlies it.
Texas will likely earn a first-round bye in the CFP with a win against Georgia and a first-round home game with a loss. Would you rather have the #2 seed and a bye? Or the #5 seed and play the #12 seed?
Daniel – Always give me the bye, so that you have the time to heal up and prepare. There are a bunch of bumps and bruises this time of year, so give me the chance for the staff and the players to get both mentally and physically ready with a bye.
Gerald – I believe you always take the bye. Football is a physical sport and going extra time without putting yourself through the physicality of the game is always preferable. While the lineup of teams may be easier in the short term, you can’t compare not playing a game to playing one.
Cameron – If the No. 7 and No. 8 seed is Georiga or Tennessee or Ohio State, then I understand the argument of wanting to play Arizona State or Iowa State and then get a shot at Oregon. I also wouldn’t mind three weeks of rest and only needing to win three games to win the National Championship instead of four. We can’t project what the seeding will look like until after Saturday so it’s a moot argument anyways!
Jacob – I don’t think it’s totally clear-cut. However, the only scenario where the bye is potentially less desirable is if Texas essentially gives up the SECCG. In that scenario, Texas could treat the SECCG as a mini bye, rest, and secure two favorable matchups against the 12th seed and 4th seed. This is the easiest path to the semifinals in my opinion. Again, it hinges on Texas using the SECCG as a bye. I think there are more important things than carving an easy path. I want Texas to play for all the marbles in this conference and avenge their lone loss, take the actual bye week, and then handle the 7 or 10 seed.
The last meeting between Texas and Georgia saw the Longhorn quarterbacks sacked seven times and gained only 29 yards on the ground. Has Texas improved enough at pass and run blocking to beat the Dawgs in Round 2?
Daniel – The run game is certainly clicking at a higher level in the past couple of weeks, and I think that will help set up the play-action pass that Texas likes to work off of to try to take shots down the field. It will be hard for the Texas offense to be worse than it was the first go around, so I lean towards them being improved enough to be able to perform better and win on Saturday.
Gerald – Absolutely. We’ve seen the Texas offensive line find its stride over the last month, with Quintrevion Wisner taking advantage of their performance. After floundering for most of the season, Wisner has emerged as a true RB1 for Texas who can play their zone blocking scheme effectively. When the line is communicating and working as fluidly as they are, I think the Longhorns are really set up well. Georgia also did some unexpected things schematically in that game that caused Quinn Ewers to be more hesitant as he looked for options downfield.
Cameron – In the first eight games of the season, Texas only eclipsed 200 yards rushing once. In the last four games? Three times. The rushing attack has improved since the dreadful performance against Georgia but also the Horns spent the whole game trailing and were forced to throw. That has a huge impact on pass and run blocking because a) with Georgia knowing Texas needed to throw to get back into the game, they could send their rushers at full-go, and b) when you’re trailing by double-digits, you have to pass and therefore running the ball is not really an option. Establishing an early lead and not an early deficit will be key on Saturday.
Jacob – Without a doubt. Texas might not run the ball 50 times on Saturday but the ground game will be a key factor and one of the biggest changes from the first matchup. The Texas offensive line looked overmatched and confused against Georgia. Kirby Smart created some of the worst communication all season from the Texas front five. Luckily for Texas, a lot of those issues have been cleared up. I expect the Georgia defense to create havoc on Saturday still, but at a much lower rate than in Austin.
Does Texas (-2.5) get revenge on the Georgia Bulldogs and win the SEC Championship?
Daniel (11-1/5-7 ATS) – I heavily considered taking Georgia in this matchup given what I saw the first time around, but if the Texas offense doesn’t spot Georgia’s multiple turnovers and short fields I think this game plays out differently the second go-round. It is going to be a tight one and I would bet the under if I was a betting man. Texas 27, Georgia 24 –
Gerald (11-1/5-6 ATS) – Gotta dance with the one that brung ya. Texas 31, Georgia 30
Cameron (11-1/5-7 ATS) – I think injuries to Quinn Ewers and Kelvin Banks hold back the Longhorns in this rematch. If they were healthy, I think this game goes the Longhorns’ way. Texas 17, Georgia 23
Jacob (11-1/6-6) – Texas isn’t getting beat by the same team twice. Not this year. Texas 31, Georgia 20