ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — In a highly anticipated rematch of last season”s Southeastern Conference championship, No. 5 Georgia and No. 10 Texas are gearing up for a pivotal clash that could significantly influence this year”s conference standings and both teams” aspirations for the College Football Playoff.
Texas enters the Saturday night matchup riding a four-game winning streak, while Georgia aims to build on its five-game victory run following a decisive 41-21 triumph over Mississippi State last week. Coach Kirby Smart praised the previous win as a comprehensive team effort. Last year, Gunner Stockton played a key role off the bench, leading the Bulldogs to a thrilling 22-19 overtime victory against Texas in the SEC title game.
Meanwhile, the Longhorns faced two significant setbacks last season against Georgia, which could serve as motivation as they prepare for this third encounter within two seasons. However, the players are keeping their focus on the present rather than dwelling on past defeats. Texas, currently 7-2 overall and 4-1 in the SEC, understands that a loss is not an option if they wish to secure a spot in the SEC championship game. Additionally, a third overall loss would severely diminish their chances of making a third consecutive College Football Playoff appearance.
In other SEC news, Michael Nwoko had a standout performance, scoring 22 points, as LSU cruised to a dominating 93-58 victory over New Orleans. Nwoko shot 9 of 13 from the field and went 4 of 5 at the line for the Tigers, who improved to 2-0. Teammates Marquel Sutton and Pablo Tamba both recorded double-doubles, contributing significantly to the win.
Further discussions within the conference reveal that SEC leaders are reconsidering their approach to the College Football Playoff, suggesting they might prefer no automatic qualifiers for the upcoming iteration. Recent results support this shift in perspective, with the last two teams in the initial 12-team playoff bracket, both of which ranked outside the committee”s top 12, suffering defeats last week, which could lead to lower-ranked teams being included in the upcoming bracket.
Across the nation, Houston has ascended to the top of the AP Top 25 college basketball poll, trading places with Purdue. The latest rankings indicate that Houston garnered 18 first-place votes, while Purdue received 36. The top five also includes UConn, Duke, and Arizona. Notably, only four teams maintained their positions from the preseason rankings, with significant movements among other teams due to recent losses.
The AP Top 25 women”s basketball poll saw Baylor and Southern California breaking into the top 10. Baylor climbed nine spots to No. 7 after defeating Duke, while USC moved up 10 places to No. 8 following a narrow win over N.C. State. The top four teams remained unchanged, led by UConn, South Carolina, UCLA, and Texas.
Finally, Bob Chesney continues to make headlines as his No. 24 James Madison Dukes entered the AP Top 25 for the first time in his tenure, establishing themselves as strong contenders for a Group of Five bid in the College Football Playoff after a recent loss by Memphis.
