We haven't seen many instances in college football where teams get a rematch, much less a circumstance where they play three times in a single season.
Coming into the 2024 season, we assumed that there would likely be a rematch or two during conference championship weekend. As it turned out, we only got one, between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Texas Longhorns in the SEC Championship game.
Georgia went into Austin earlier this season and came away with a dominant victory over Texas, beating the Longhorns 30-15. Though Texas finished with a better overall record, there was no question who the better team was that night and, coming into the SEC Championship game, there were questions if the Bulldogs would have the same kind of dominance, or if Texas would have a better game plan and be more competitive coming off a win over Texas A&M during Rivalry Week.
This time around, things were a little closer.
Texas and Georgia played a low-scoring affair, ultimately tied at 16 apiece after regulation. After Texas knocked in a field goal, the Longhorns yet again were relying on their defense to get a stop. They couldn't get it done.
Georgia drove down the field and Trevor Etienne punched in the game-winning 4-yard touchdown to give the Bulldogs the SEC Championship and a 22-19 victory.
Now with the SEC Championship game in our rearview mirror, the truth of the matter is that we might not be done seeing Texas and Georgia match-up on the gridiron. Depending on what happens in the first couple of rounds of the postseason, the two teams could once again — for a third time in almost as many months — look across the sideline and see each other.
What a time to be alive in the world of college football.
Both Georgia and Texas will await their official positioning in the College Football Playoff. The College Football Playoff Selection Show will take place at noon E.T. Sunday on ESPN.