Things to watch this week in the Southeastern Conference:
Game of the week
No. 5 Georgia (5-1, 3-1 SEC) at No. 1 Texas (6-0, 2-0), 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday (ABC)
The college football powerhouses square off for the first time as SEC members, with both top-10 schools looking to boost their conference standing as the initial rankings for the 12-team College Football Playoff draw near next month. The Longhorns are tied with No. 8 LSU at 2-0 with both just a half-game behind first-place and No. 14 Texas A&M in the win column. The Bulldogs also have three league wins but are a half-game back in the loss column.
Texas is 6-0 for the first time since 2009 and coming off last week’s 34-3 blowout in Dallas of rival Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry. The Longhorns have cruised in league play since rising to No. 1 last month, dominating last-place Mississippi State and the Sooners by a 69-16 combined margin. Quarterback Quinn Ewers returned from an abdominal strain to pass for 199 yards and a touchdown along with running for another score, but Texas linebacker Anthony Hill was the star with 11 tackles (seven solo), two sacks, 3.5 tackles for loss and a forced fumble in the win.
Meanwhile, Georgia jumped all over last-place Mississippi State early before being outscored 21-7 in the second half and holding on for a 41-31 victory. Quarterback Carson Beck threw for a career-high 459 yards and three touchdowns in the win as the Bulldogs totaled a season-high 605 yards.
Texas leads the series 4-1, most recently a 28-21 Sugar Bowl victory over the Dawgs during the 2018 season.
The undercard
No. 7 Alabama (5-1, 2-1) at No. 11 Tennessee (5-1, 2-1), 3:30 p.m. ET (ABC)
The traditional third Saturday in October matchup pits two more teams with playoff aspirations but trying to avoid a second loss that could damage those hopes. The Crimson Tide look a little shaky right now after escaping South Carolina 27-25 a week after falling 40-35 at Vanderbilt.
Tennessee bounced back from its upset loss to Arkansas by beating rival Florida 23-17 in overtime in Knoxville. That escape also has the Volunteers seeking a more commanding performance, and an opportunity looms for a second consecutive home victory over the Tide.
Impact player
Vanderbilt kicker Brock Taylor made sure the Commodores’ epic upset of Alabama wasn’t a fluke by nailing field goals of 49 and 50 yards in a 20-13 win at Kentucky. Taylor totaled eight points overall with two point-after kicks, but his 50-yarder made him the first Vandy kicker since Corey Spear in 2012-13 to convert four at that distance or longer. More importantly, it extended a lead that the ‘Dores maintained to 4-2 overall and 2-1 in league play.
Inside the numbers
Vanderbilt converted both red-zone chances at Kentucky as quarterback Diego Pavia tossed touchdown passes of 20 and 18 yards to AJ Newberry and Richie Hoskins, respectively. … Mississippi State QB Michael Van Buren Jr. threw for a career-best 306 yards against Georgia in just his second career start. … Ole Miss (24), LSU (21), Oklahoma, South Carolina and Texas (19 each) are ranked in the top 15 nationally in sacks.
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