NCAA Football
2025-11-15 - Texas Longhorns at Georgia Bulldogs
A Sports Betting Pick by FirstDown
United States : College Football Week 12
Saturday 15th November 2025 - Scheduled 7:30pm
12:30am (British Time)
Preview
'Only' three SEC teams were selected to make up the twelve team College Football Playoff last season, but the Conference is set for a bounce back year in 2025.
This is the Conference that has long prided itself in being the best in College Football, but it was the Big Ten who had more participants last season. Some have suggested that is partly down to the greater depth in the SEC and teams playing in this Conference have received plenty of respect from the College Football Playoff Committee this time around.
If the season was to end today and the current Rankings were all that matters to the final Playoff shake-up, the SEC would have six teams inside the top 12 Rankings. However, the Conference is likely going to thin out the field over the last three weeks of the regular season and this game in Athens, Georgia is going to be a pivotal one to how the final Rankings come out.
The Georgia Bulldogs (8-1) were one of the three SEC teams that played in the Playoff in 2024, but they were upset as the Number 2 Seed in the Quarter Final.
This season they are currently Number 5 in the Rankings, but the Bulldogs need to win out to maintain that spot, especially as they only have one SEC game left. Even winning that last game may not be enough to take part in the Championship Game, but the focus is to put another solid win on the board and the Bulldogs are unlikely to be overlooked if they have an 11-1 record at the end of the regular season.
In Week 12 they are hosting the Texas Longhorns (7-2) who are back in the top 10 of the Rankings, but who are under pressure to finish the season as strongly as possible. There is still a chance that the Longhorns can push their way into the SEC Championship Game, but that will mean needing to upset the odds here and also beaten currently unbeaten Texas A&M Aggies in Week 14.
To say it is challenging is an understatement, but Texas had won four in a row heading into the Bye Week and finally showed the Offensive output that many had expected this season in beating the Mississippi State Bulldogs and Vanderbilt Commodores.
Winning games is impressive, but the Longhorns have to know that this Defensive unit is going to offer a lot more resistance than Mississippi State and Vanderbilt.
Arch Manning is almost certainly going to spend another year in College Football before heading off to the NFL and his last two performances have shown the talent this Quarter Back has. He also carries big expectations with that surname and the Longhorns will go as far as Arch Manning can throw them in this big game.
There will not be a great expectation of receiving a lot of support from the ground attack against this Georgia Defensive Line and that will give Manning some problems. Unlike the last two opponents, this is a Secondary that have made things very difficult for opponents, even with a limited pass rush, and Georgia will believe they can offer enough looks to stall drives and perhaps even force the Quarter Back into a mistake.
The Bulldogs will also be relying on the Quarter Back to throw the ball to move the chains- the Offensive Line are not going to find it easy to open running lanes against this tough Longhorns Defensive Line.
However, Gunner Stockton will be confident in his ability to keep Georgia ticking having thrown for over 2000 passing yards with 15 Touchdown passes and just 2 Interceptions.
Most importantly, Stockton is going to be throwing into a Texas Secondary that have really been struggling to deal with the pass in recent games and that could be a real difference maker with the two Quarter Backs on display.
In the last three games, Texas have allowed well over 300 passing yards per game.
The key is whether the strong Longhorns pass rush can find a way to get to Gunner Stockton, who has been well protected of late- if the Quarter Back gets any time, he should be able to exploit the spaces he sees down the field and Stockton's care with the ball gives Georgia every chance of pushing towards the Playoff and perhaps ending the Texas Longhorns hopes.
Georgia did beat Texas twice in 2024, which will give the Longhorns the motivational edge, but the Bulldogs have been far less erratic than Texas this season.
The Longhorns have lost half of the four road games played this season and barely got the better of the Kentucky Wildcats in the other and so the edge is with Georgia to make enough big passing plays to win and cover.
Prediction
Lay the points with the home favourite.
The Pick :
Georgia Bulldogs 31-21 Texas Longhorns
