It was a breezy October Saturday night at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. The air was kind of chilly, but the warmth of the student section kept me holding my jacket wrapped in my hand.
It did not matter; I was just excited to watch the regular season game of the year — at least that’s how my fellow Longhorns felt about it. But then it started to rain, not in physical droplets that come from the science of precipitation, but in the plastics of Dasani water bottles.
After the called-back interception by then-senior defensive back Jahdae Barron, my classmates by my side erupted in despair, desperation and, quite frankly, triumph.
Even though the flag got picked up, and the Longhorns got the ball back, Texas got walloped 30-15 on its own turf. It was the most hyped home game the Forty Acres saw all season, and it ended in complete disappointment.
The 2024 Southeastern Conference Championship saw the sequel event, and the Bulldogs once again tackled head coach Steve Sarkisian and his squad, this time without Georgia starting quarterback Carson Beck playing the entire second half.
Now, Texas travels to Athens to take on No. 5 Georgia for the third time in two years. Is it about revenge? When I asked Sarkisian at the Monday press conference if there was any sense of that heading into Saturday, he kept it brief.
“No,” Sarkisisan said with a straight face. “I just want to win Saturday night at 7:30 and try to get to 5-1 in conference play.”
A great answer by the Texas head coach, but is it something I’m really buying? The 2024 Longhorns lost two games before the playoffs started, and they were both to Georgia.
Maybe it’s not fully about revenge, but to say the Texas returners don’t want this game more than the others would feel like a false statement. But maybe, revenge is overshadowed by its current life on the edge. Texas has a 49% chance to make the college football playoffs, according to ESPN’s Allstate Playoff Predictor.
If they lose to Georgia this weekend, but win their last two games at home, Texas is given a 64% chance to make the playoffs. With a win and staying victorious to close out the year, it’s almost 100%.
Georgia is the peak of college football — the dynasty of the past decade, with three national championship appearances and finishing CFP ranks no worse than ninth since 2017. Head coach Kirby Smart and his Bulldogs have been riding the mountaintop of the college football universe for a while.
Then, here is Texas, the challengers and newcomers to the SEC, and there’s no opportunity to throw water bottles this time around.
