Texas Longhorns (9-4) vs Georgia Bulldogs (11-2)
The Sugar Bowl will be played at 8:45 on New Years’s Day in the Superdome and can be seen on ESPN. The Longhorns will come into this looking for their first major bowl win since the 2008 season. Meanwhile, Georgia comes in looking to get to at least 12 wins for the second straight year.
How They Got Here: Texas Longhorns
A win for Texas would make this their best season since losing the BCS National Championship back in 2009. While a four loss season isn’t the most impressive, the first three of those came by only a combined 9 points. They will also be looking to rebound after losing the Big 12 title game to Oklahoma.
The Longhorns’ efficient offense is led by sophomore QB Sam Ehlinger. This season Ehlinger has thrown for over 3100 yards and 25 TDs while completing 64.3% of his passes. He was also able to run for 600 yards and 13 TDs on 5.1 yards per carry. Lil’Jordan Humphrey has been the best receiver, having 1100 yards, 79 catches and 9 TDs. Meanwhile on the other side of the ball, Texas has struggled, allowing 400 yards per game. The defense has been led by players like Kris Boyd, who had 16 PBUs all by himself. Lineman Charles Oeenihu has been another bright spot, with 16 TFLS and 9.5 sacks.
How They Got Here: Georgia Bulldogs
Georgia is surely disappointed to have been left out of the playoff after the late loss to Alabama in the SEC championship game. That being said, the Dawgs should still be motivated since this is their first trip to the Sugar Bowl since 2007.
Kirby Smart put together another excellent defense this year, but the offense was still great. QB Jake Fromm threw for over 2500 yards, 25 TDs and completed 68% of his passes. The two headed monster of D’Andre Swift and Elijah Holyfield was able to combine for just under 2000 yards and 19 total TDs. The defense was of course awesome again, allowing only 18 points per game.
Player to Watch: Sam Ehlinger (Texas)
Ehlinger will be the key to the game for Texas. If he can find success against a very strong Georgia defense, the Longhorns might be able to keep this one close.
Betting Lines:
Georgia is favored by 12.5 and the over/under is set at 60.
Prediction:
Georgia is the significantly better team here, but Tom Herman is excellent as an underdog. If Georgia comes out angry about the playoff snub, they should be able to put Texas away early.