ESPN’s FPI prediction for Saturday’s much-anticipated primetime showdown between Georgia and Texas has been updated, which gives everyone 6 days to argue about it.
For the 1st time ever, 2 of college football’s most tradition-rich programs will meet as SEC rivals, with the Longhorns officially joining the conference in July. There’s no rest for the weary for top-ranked Texas, which stayed at the top of the AP Poll on Sunday after thrashing old rival Oklahoma on Saturday in the Red River Rivalry.
Seven days after that neutral-site win in Dallas, the Longhorns will host the 5th-ranked Bulldogs in Austin for a game that will likely help determine the 12-team College Football Playoff field in December.
So, what does ESPN think initially about the matchup between 5-1 Georgia and 6-0 Texas?
Well, the FPI matchup predictor isn’t nearly as kind to the Bulldogs as you would think. Despite winning 2 of the past 3 national titles and being in position to win a 3rd in 4 years, ESPN’s FPI, at least for now, only gives Kirby Smart’s team a 23.5% chance to come out of Austin with a victory. It’s giving Texas a 76.5% chance to win and stay unbeaten.
Kickoff from Austin will be shortly after 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
