ATHENS — Quarterback Quinn Ewers has served notice that he will arrive in the SEC with Texas-sized confidence.

Ewers, speaking at the Manning Passing Academy on Friday, essentially declared the Longhorns are the team to beat in the SEC this season.

“We’re going to be everybody’s biggest game, for sure,” Ewers said via an ON3 report.

Fact is, Texas is a championship contender and it’s Oct. 19 home game with Georgia is considered by some to be the most pivotal regular-season matchup on the 2024 college football slate.

And, there aren’t many programs that can say they beat Alabama and Georgia in the teams’ most recent meetings.

Ewers said the Longhorns are eager to compete in the SEC this season, and they are confident they can do just that.

“Football definitely means a lot for that conference, (and) we’re going into it full speed,” Ewers said. “We want to win the SEC Championship, and we want to accomplish what we were so close to accomplishing last year. I know that we have a team that’s more than capable of doing that.”

Ewers led Texas to the 34-24 win at Alabama last season that propelled the Longhorns into the College Football Playoff.

The CFP Committee had no choice put to put a one-loss Texas into the four-team field ahead of one-loss Georgia because of transitive properties: Texas beat Alabama, and of course Alabama beat Georgia.

The Bulldogs looked like the better team by the end of the season:

• Georgia’s only loss came by 3 points to a one-loss Alabama, Texas’ loss was a 6-point defeat to a 3-loss Oklahoma.

• The final four games of Texas’ 2023 regular season consisted of a 33-30 OT home win over No. 23 Kansas State, a 29-26 win at TCU, a 26-16 win at Iowa State and a 57-7 win over Texas Tech

• the final four games of Georgia’s 2023 regular season came against No. 12 Missouri (30-21), No. 9 Ole Miss (52-17), No. 18 Tennessee (38-10) and at rival Georgia Tech (31-23).

But Ewers, like Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian, said the Longhorns embrace the idea of playing better competition this season.

“It’s definitely a different level, I’ve always wanted to play in the SEC,” Ewers said. “I know we’re all excited to be a part of a conference like that.”

Somewhere within the bounds of that Manning Camp, one could imagine Georgia quarterback Carson Beck chuckling to himself.

Beck, the projected No. 1 NFL Draft pick and the co-Heisman Trophy favorite, does not lack for confidence, and he knows the rigors of week-to-week play in the rugged SEC.

One thing for certain, it will all play out on the field, and Texas’ and Ewers’ confidence, which will likely be at a high when the Longhorns face off with Georgia in their seventh game of the season.

Texas 2024 schedule

Aug. 31 Vs. Colorado State

Sept. 7 At Michigan

Sept. 14 Vs. UTSA

Sept. 21 Vs. ULM

Sept. 28 Vs. Mississippi State

Oct. 12 Vs Oklahoma

Oct. 19 Vs. Georgia

Oct. 26 At Vanderbilt

Nov. 9 Vs. Florida

Nov. 16 At Arkansas

Nov. 23 Vs. Kentucky

Nov. 30 At Texas A&M