Georgia has the championship pedigree. Texas has the momentum and the revenge factor. It's immensely difficult to beat an elite college football team twice in one season. What offered brief pause in taking the Longhorns was Quinn Ewers' nagging ankle, but I'd rather have him hobbled than Carson Beck at full strength -- especially against this elite Texas defense. Steve Sarkisian has no doubt put in work schematically to overcome some of the issues the offense faced. Georgia, meanwhile, only got past Florida due to a QB injury and nearly lost to Georgia Tech. Yes, Texas will be battling a de facto away crowd in Atlanta -- it's mature enough to handle it. Too bad Bevo won't be there. Get Texas under a FG.

Is the wrong team favored? Considering how the Bulldogs took care of the Longhorns without much trouble (30-15) at Austin on October 19., maybe not. Moreover, this rematch is being played in Georgia's backyard at Atlanta, where Kirby Smarty's team already dominated Clemson earlier this season. Texas was beneficiary of the easiest possible SEC slate, skipping every serious contender except Georgia (a game UT lost), and the offense hasn't exactly been percolating lately, especially QB Quinn Ewers, who has passed for under 200 ypg across his last three outings. The Bulldogs had it much tougher schedule-wise in the SEC this season, and note Kirby Smart's D held the Horns to just 29 rush yards in the first meeting. Play Georgia (at Atlanta)

Under is the best play in this game. Texas has the No. 2 scoring defense in the country (11.7 points per game). More importantly, the Longhorns' offense has been more effective running the ball recently, which has shortened games, limited possessions and kept games Under. (Their last three games have stayed Under.) Meanwhile the Georgia defense gave the Texas offense fits last time, limiting the Longhorns to 15 points. I expect a 23-20 or 20-17 kind of game.

Georgia survived the brutal gauntlet of the SEC schedule and is playing Texas for the SEC championship at Atlanta the same place that they beat Clemson to start the year. Despite barely getting past Georgia Tech at home their wins all season have been huge against the best opponents. And the last three games Carson Beck hasn't thrown an interception and has thrown 11 touchdown passes. Georgia is only 3-9 against the spread but one of those covers was against Texas at Texas, 30-15. It was one of their smoothest wins of the year and probably Texas strongest opponent of the year. I'm trying to find it figure out how Texas passed them in the ratings. I'm on Georgia.

This is perhaps the most vulnerable the Bulldogs have looked under coach Kirby Smart. Regular defensive lapses and a disappointing season from QB Carson Beck, who entered the season as a Heisman favorite, led to an 11-2 regular-season record. Razor-thin wins over Kentucky and Georgia Tech have kept the Bulldogs from falling out of the 12-team playoff rankings, but a loss Saturday could put their status in doubt. Even so, their 30-15 win over Texas remains their signature performance, holding the Longhorns to 259 yards of total offense and forcing four turnovers to overcome Beck’s three interceptions. If a similar version of Georgia reappears amid a de facto home-field advantage in the SEC title game, the Bulldogs should get the best of this rematch.

Texas wants revenge after the Bulldogs went to Austin in October and dominated them in a 30-15 victory. But Georgia has regressed and had to rally late and somehow win the 8 overtime classic against Georgia Tech last week. Meanwhile, the Longhorns have gotten stronger since then and their second-ranked scoring defense (11.7 PPG) is keeping teams at bay. Kirby Smart is only 2-4 straight up in SEC Championship Games and the Bulldogs are 3-9 against the spread this season. The Longhorns get their much-needed revenge and look like the best team in the country while doing it. I also would lean towards the under. Texas 23, Georgia 17.