When there’s a big game to be played the DawgNation staff gets together for a series of posts examining the storylines involving a big game. This week for Georgia football at Texas certainly applies here. How do DawgNation staffers Brandon Adams, Mike Griffith, Kaylee Mansell, Connor Riley and Jeff Sentell feel about this matchup?
AUSTIN, Texas -- DawgNation travels to The Lone Star State this weekend to face a Texas team ranked as the consensus No. 1 team in the nation. The two teams have met five times with the Longhorns winning four of those.
The last time Georgia traveled to Austin was back in 1958. That was also the only time the Bulldogs have played in Austin. Texas won that day 13-8.
Georgia did beat the Texas in Texas back in the 1983 Cotton Bowl. That was in Dallas. That thrilling game and late special teams and John Lastinger heroics forged a 10-9 victory. It bookmarked an era where Georgia’s seniors went a combined 43-4-1 with three SEC championships and one national title in four seasons.
The Bulldogs are in the middle of an even greater run across their last three-and-a-half seasons. Georgia is 47-3 with two national championships.
That said, the No. 5 Dawgs find themselves a four-to-five point underdog this weekend.
The storylines around this game afford a lot to talking points.
When Georgia football plays a big game like this, we always try to go around the horn amongst the DawgNation staff.
This post is the first of those we’ve got planned for this week:
What would a victory at No. 1 Texas this weekend mean for the Georgia football program?
Brandon Adams: That the critics are wrong
Why: UGA has faced its share of skepticism after the Alabama game. Some seem to think there are cracks in the foundation. A win in Austin would provide a stinging rebuke to the hecklers.
Mike Griffith: Program validation
Why: Georgia has set the standard in the SEC over the past three seasons, winning the league’s two most recent CFP Championships, recording the most wins, and sending the most players into the NFL. Beating Texas would be a major flex and re-establish the Bulldogs as the class of the SEC.
Kaylee Mansell: Georgia is not going anywhere
Why: A win at Texas would assert UGA as one of THE top programs in not just the SEC but all of college football. It would also prove to the national media that UGA has not lost its juice just yet.
Connor Riley: That the sky isn’t falling
Why: Georgia’s won titles recently. A win over Texas doesn’t guarantee one of those. But few inside or out of the program have been happy with how things have gone and a win on Saturday would help restore some some belief that Georgia is still who it has been.
Jeff Sentell: Carson Beck’s legacy at UGA gets a signature win
Why: Our DawgNation team is right on it about a win maintaining UGA’s grip as the top program in college football. But I think Beck must play very well in any victory scenario. If that happens, it adds a signature win to his legacy at UGA. He’d have the talent and the stats and a win on the road against the nation’s consensus No. 1 team. The great Stetson Bennett never did that. Kirby Smart will still be an elite coach no matter what happens on Saturday. He’ll win more titles, but the feeling here is Beck (and also Mike Bobo’s reputation) stand to have the most to gain.
Do you have an opinion here on this one? DawgNation welcomes you to join our huddle in the comments section below.
DAWGNATION HUDDLE THIS WEEK:
-- What would a win at Texas this weekend mean for Georgia football?
-- LATER TODAY: What would a loss to Texas mean for Georgia’s college football playoff hopes?
-- FRIDAY: Do the ‘Dawgs have to win a wild shootout to beat Texas?
-- GAMEDAY: Who needs to be Georgia’s best player against Texas?
