2024 is the inaugural season for the University of Texas Longhorns as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The SEC is known for its Southern charm and hospitality, but also for its fierce brand of football. The SEC is widely recognized as the premier conference in college football, boasting the largest number of collegiate athletes selected in the first round of the NFL draft since the year 2000. Most high school recruits have faced the reality that playing for a program in the SEC gives them the best chance at a professional career, widening the gap between the SEC and all other conferences.
The Texas program was believed to be an exception to the influence of outside forces. Texas always stood tall as the shining gem of the Big 12 and, historically, of college football itself. Texas’s national championship victory over a powerhouse USC team in 2005 is often heralded as the greatest game in college football history. Twenty-two players from that championship roster went on to play in the NFL.
This union of a storied program and a now-dominant conference sets the stage for the richest college football storylines we can dream of—battles of philosophy and scheme that feel like epic crusades to defend both territory and namesake. #1 Texas versus #5 Georgia fits the description as much as any matchup ever will.
The Georgia Bulldogs have won two of the last three national titles and look like the next dynasty in the sport after the retirement of Nick Saban from Alabama. Head coach Kirby Smart has truly capitalized on the physical culture of Georgia football and multiplied that culture with his defensive prowess, largely refined under Saban. The Bulldogs have it all at their disposal as a program, with a hotbed of talent both homegrown and in bordering states. Natural advantages have always separated perennial powers from underdog hopefuls, and Georgia is a powerhouse. Texas boasts the same advantages, but from a bigger state with even more talent to comb through and field the best of the best.
These two juggernauts take the field this week to sort out more than just who’s the better team in 2024. These teams will be setting the tone for the perceived hierarchy in the SEC and the national championship picture. With a win today, Texas will not only remain ranked the #1 team in college football, but they will also have officially planted their burnt orange flag dead center of the football universe and declared sovereignty once again. The brand has taken a long road to its return to prominence, but the Longhorns are back.
Texas has the top defense in the country and ranks in the top ten offensively, despite playing without its starting quarterback and projected first-round pick, Quinn Ewers, for two games. There will be no talent disparity on the field Saturday night. There will be no excuses, and there will be sky-high expectations for both teams. Austin, Texas, will be filled with over 100,000 screaming fans, and the atmosphere will be one we haven’t seen in the Lone Star State in close to two decades. The Longhorns have already defeated Alabama, but a victory over Georgia on October 19th will officially set them atop the SEC throne, only waiting for the crown to be delivered in the championship game.
They can send the message to recruits nationwide that the true power and most desirable destination for a prospect to commit to is Austin, Texas. We are on the verge of witnessing the birth of a new burnt orange dynasty in college football, and that is great for the game. If the intensity and speed of the defense haven’t done it, if Steve Sarkisian’s high-flying air attack littered with NFL-caliber wide receivers hasn’t done it, I assure you that a dominant demonstration of coaching and world-class talent, coupled with a victory over the Georgia Bulldogs, will most definitely HOOK ‘EM!
Photo Credit: ESPN