The No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs‘ visit to Austin is just a few days away. The No. 1 Texas Longhorns will be waiting for the team it supplanted as the top team in college football. It is one of the games of the year in the SEC, if not the game of the year.
All eyes will be on the clash, a night game at DKR with perfect weather. That includes Fox Sports Joel Klatt. The network’s lead analyst hosts his own show during the week and he is in with his breakdown of the game.
Klatt believes part of the reason the Bulldogs lost to Alabama was the atmosphere in Tuscaloosa.
“Bryant-Denny was on fire that night and Georgia struggled in the first half. … Now they’re going to face a team that’s better than that Alabama team. And in what, I think we can anticipate, is going to be at least a similar environment. I don’t know that it’s going to top what Bryant-Denny was that night in Tuscaloosa. But it’s going to be a least similar.” — Joel Klatt
The former Colorado Buffalo’s QB says Texas has been waiting for years for a game like this. A game where, at least before kickoff, the Horns hold all the cards.
“This Texas fan base has waited so long to be in this position where they’re the favorite. It’s not an underdog kind of story. We’ve seen them over the past decade want desperately to be back and now they are. … They’re the No. 1 team in the country. They’re the undefeated team. They’re the team with a better offensive line. They’re the team with a quarterback that is vastly experienced, even though (Carson) Beck is also experienced. They’re the team with a defense that, I think, is playing exceptional defense. Especially coming off a win in Red River where they allowed nothing to an inept offense in OU. They’re the team that’s the No. 1 offense AND defense in the country. This is what they’ve been dying for down in Austin for a long time.” — Joel Klatt
One possible concern is Georgia’s mentality coming into the game. The Bulldogs struggled against Kentucky, lost to Alabama and looked wobbly against Mississippi State.
“Georgia is going to play desperate. Because a loss in this game basically puts them in no-man’s land in terms of trying to reach the SEC championship game. If they lose this game, I just don’t see a path for Kirby Smart to get back to Atlanta and play for an SEC championship. Which means, that there’s not really a path to a first round bye and a top four seed in the college football playoff. It also brings into the equation that they would have to go on the road in the first round of the college football playoff. It makes winning a national championship much harder. … So I do think you’re going to get a bit of a desperate team in Georgia. Back against the wall mentality. How does that play out?” — Joel Klatt
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Klatt thinks the game lies in the trenches, particularly with the offensive lines.
“Here’s where I think the game lies though. I think the team with the better offensive line wins the game. Because the better offensive line controls the game. They control everything about the game. They control the tempo of the game. They control how comfortable the quarterback is, both from a pressure standpoint and an ease of a passing attempt standpoint. … The better offensive line in this game is Texas. They’re more experienced. They’re healthier. And I just think that they’re better overall. To me that’s where this game is won and lost.” — Joel Klatt
Klatt gives the edge in the matchup he deems the most important. That has informed his pick of the Longhorns winning a close game.
“I like Texas in this game. I like Texas 34-31. … But again, the game is held in the hands of the offensive line. Texas has the best offensive line in the country. This is by the way the reason I have them No. 1. Even though Oregon got that huge win (over Ohio State). Texas is just really good. And they’re very sound and I think they’re going to play well.” — Joel Klatt
Georgia at Texas kicks off at 6:30 p.m. CT Saturday night on ABC.