The Texas Longhorns’ SEC debut in 2024 was one for the ages, as the team simply blew through any challenge that the conference threw at them.
From a big win early on over No. 10 Michigan and a 34-3 thrashing of the Oklahoma Sooners in the Red River Game all the way to silencing a rowdy Kyle Field in their Lone Star Showdown renewal with Texas A&M, it seemed that nobody could stop the Burnt Orange train.
Except for Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs.
While the Longhorns tore through their opposition, they did suffer two losses in conference play throughout the year, once to Georgia at DKR in mid-October, and again to the Bulldogs in overtime in the SEC Championship game.
As the Longhorns regroup following their bye week and look through their game plan, they do have one piece of good luck on their side thanks to their head coach Steve Sarkisian.
Oct 25, 2025; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian walks out of the lockerroom prior to the game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images / Petre Thomas-Imagn Images
Throughout his head coaching tenure, including his time with the Washington Huskies and BYU Cougars, Sark is 13-4 in games following bye weeks, including 4-2 during his years in Austin.
The team was 2-0 after bye weeks last season, defeating the Sooners in the aforementioned lopsided win, and also delivering a sound 49-17 beating to the Florida Gators in front of the DKR crowd after a week off.
This impressive post-bye week record will be put to the test against Georiga, a trend that could prove to be to Texas’ advantage.
This year, however, has been dramatically different for the Burnt Orange.
After their first bye week of the 2025 season, the Gators would get their revenge in “The Swamp,” defeating the Horns 29-21 to give them their second loss early on in the campaign.
The loss would plummet Texas from No. 9 to completely out of the AP Top 25 rankings, a stark contrast from the 2024 year that never saw the team ranked outside the Top 10.
But thanks to a huge 23-6 win over No. 6 Oklahoma at the Cotton Bowl, as well as victories over Kentucky, Mississippi State, and No. 9 Vanderbilt, the team is now right back at No. 10 in the ranks and still very much alive in the College Football Playoff race.
The Bulldogs come into the contest with an 8-1 record, with their lone defeat coming at the hands of a 24-21 loss to the Alabama Crimson Tide in Week 5, and have since won the rest of their games by an average of 12.6 points.
The Longhorns and Bulldogs face off under the lights of Sanford Stadium in Athens Saturday at 7:30 PM.
