ESPN names Georgia game as best first-time conference matchup

ESPN ranks Georgia’s Oct. 19 road trip to Austin, Texas, to face the Texas Longhorns as college football’s best first-time conference matchup of 2024.

Georgia will be facing Texas for the first time since the Dawgs fell to the Longhorns on Jan. 1, 2020 in the Sugar Bowl. Georgia’s program has won a pair of national championships since then.

Texas fans will be hyped up for the Georgia game. The Longhorns and quarterback Quinn Ewers should be among the nation’s best in 2024. In fact, USA TODAY projects that Georgia and Texas will be ranked No. 1 and No. 2 this fall.

“In what could be a preview of playoff participants, the Bulldogs make their second-ever trek to Austin — and first since 1958,” wrote ESPN’s Jake Trotter. Georgia and Texas are among the favorites to win the national championship.

With a 12-team College Football Playoff, both Georgia and Texas could easily make the playoff. The Georgia-Texas game could also be a preview of the SEC championship. However, the loser of the game will have a tough time making the SEC championship since the conference is 16 teams. It’s hard to imagine a two-loss (in conference play) team making the SEC championship.