Rece Davis predicts winner of Texas-Georgia game

Rece Davis shared his thoughts on ESPN’s College GameDay podcast, breaking down Texas-Georgia and predicting another Bulldogs win at home.

College GameDay host Rece Davis picked Georgia to win this week against Texas. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Two SEC heavyweights collide Saturday night when No. 10 Texas visits No. 5 Georgia in Athens. The Bulldogs sit at 8-1 and are coming off a dominant win at Mississippi State, while the Longhorns have survived a string of close games to stay alive in the playoff race.

Last season, these teams met twice, and both games went Georgia’s way: a 30-15 win in Austin and a 22-19 overtime thriller in the SEC Championship. Now the Longhorns return looking for payback against a Georgia program that rarely loses at home.

On ESPN’s College GameDay podcast, Rece Davis analyzed what separates the two sides and made his pick clear. He emphasized Georgia’s late-season surge and physicality as the difference in a matchup that a few key possessions could again decide.

“Texas and Georgia in prime time," Davis outlined. "The one thing Texas hasn’t proven in the SEC is that they can handle the Dawgs. Georgia was the more physical team, particularly in the regular-season meeting last year and then in the SEC Championship game. They made the tough-minded plays when they had to.”

Rece Davis Picks Georgia To Outlast Texas In Athens

That physical edge remains central to Georgia’s identity. The Bulldogs are averaging 435.8 yards per game, and their defense has held opponents to 19.8 points on average. Gunner Stockton has thrown for 2,035 yards and 15 touchdowns while leading an offense that thrives on long possessions and late-game execution.

Davis noted that Georgia doesn’t pressure quarterbacks like in past years, but it continues to close games with balance. “I feel like the Dawgs are ascending a little bit here,” he said. “I think the game will be very similar to what we saw in the SEC Championship game, which I think was decided in the 20s. That’s the type of game I expect. Texas is in survival mode. They’re kind of desperate.”

Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Gunner Stockton (14) has accounted for 22 total touchdowns this season. | Wesley Hale-Imagn Images

Texas has won four straight, three of them by a touchdown or less. Quarterback Arch Manning has thrown for 2,123 yards and 18 touchdowns, but the Longhorns’ defense has shown cracks, allowing 30 points in back-to-back games.

Davis added perspective on what the next two weeks mean for Steve Sarkisian’s team. “I do think if Texas can find a way to split these two games, absent any other loss, but split the two games against Georgia and Texas A&M, that they will have a really good case, assuming they play well and pass the football judgment, they’ll have a really good case as a three-loss at-large team maybe to sneak into the field.”

He closed his analysis with confidence in Georgia’s direction. “I can’t see Georgia losing two prime-time games between the hedges in the same season with how much they have riding on this, too. They’re in a great spot right now, but they still have Georgia Tech. Tech’s formidable, as the Dawgs found out last year. I’ll go with Georgia to win that game.”

The Bulldogs host Texas on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC.