Week 12 of college football brings one of the most anticipated games of the season. The No. 5-ranked Georgia Bulldogs are set to go toe-to-toe with two-time playoff semifinalist Texas Longhorns. This match is one of the highly anticipated ones of the season. Especially with Texas wanting revenge for being the only team Georgia beat twice last season. However, ESPN college football insider Rece Davis believes this matchup could be more one-sided than people think.

On November 11, Rece Davis joined the ESPN College Football podcast and shared his honest take on the Georgia – Texas showdown. Let’s just say he’s not too confident in the Longhorns – and for good reason.

“Texas, though, they will definitely be in harm’s way and on the wrong side of the bubble at the moment, in all likelihood if they don’t win. I haven’t seen enough from them to think they can go into Athens and win,” Davis said.

He believes Texas’ playoff bubble will finally burst after their four-game winning streak. Why? Because they’re heading to Sanford Stadium: Georgia’s fortress. The Bulldogs have won 34 of their last 35 home games. Simply put, no team in the nation walks into Athens and comes out clean on the other side.

Davis also thinks the Bulldogs’ best football is still ahead of them: “And I also think Georgia is getting better. I think Georgia is doing what teams in this playoff era need to do working things out over the course of the season and starting to play your best as the year goes on.”

Kirby Smart’s Bulldogs have been the boogeymen of college football for years. They can go toe-to-toe with anyone in the country, even Ohio State or the Indiana Hoosiers – and match their physicality and tempo. The Bulldogs started the season slow, gulping criticism after a 28–6 win over Austin Peay in Week 2.

But the very next week, they hit the road and took down the No. 1 offense in the country in a 44–41 thriller. Gunner Stockton threw four touchdowns and out-scored the yards merchant with 502 total yards to 496 yards. Even with a stumble against Alabama and a close call versus Florida, no one beats Kirby Smart on his best day.

Their running game has also come alive with Nate Frazier and Gunner Stockton leading the charge. The former five-star has become far more than a screen-pass specialist or game manager. He’s now slinging it all over the field — 2,040 passing yards, a 69.4% completion rate, and 23 total touchdowns.

Rece Davis doesn’t see Georgia dropping another prime-time game anytime soon. “I can’t see Georgia losing two prime-time games between the hedges in the same season with how much they have riding on this, too.” So does that mean Texas has zero chance? If Rece Davis is right, they’re walking into a nightmare in Athens. But one analyst is giving Steve Sarkisian some benefit of the doubt, but it won’t be easy.

Roddy Jones’ 101 for Texas to Beat Georgia Bulldogs

Roddy Jones says the Texas vs. Georgia game will be decided in the trenches. He believes the key to the playoffs will be how Texas’s defense handles Georgia’s absurd running attack. “It’s the matchup between Texas’ run defense and Georgia’s run offense,” Jones said. Both sides are very good in this area, and the winner of this fight up front will likely control the game.

Texas has one of the best run defenses in the country, ranking No. 2 and allowing just 78.2 rushing yards per game. Georgia’s offense is also powerful, averaging nearly 200 rushing yards per game. Jones explained that Georgia’s run game often puts teams in bad situations in third and longs, which lets Texas bring “their exotic pressures” to try to stop drives.

Georgia is also strong on third downs, converting almost half of them this season. Running back Nate Frazier leads the way and just ran for 181 yards against Mississippi State. For Texas to win, Jones says they must stay disciplined, hold their gaps, tackle well, and avoid penalties. If they do that, they’ll have a good chance to slow down Georgia and compete for the win. Can the Longhorns get their revenge against the Bulldogs?