AUSTIN, Texas — A month ago, preseason No. 1 Texas had fallen to 3-2 and out of the rankings, while preseason Heisman Trophy favorite Arch Manning was being mocked as a bust in his first year as the starting quarterback for the Longhorns.
Look at them now: Texas is on a four-game winning streak, including two victories over opponents who were in the top 10 at the time, and the conversation about Manning and the Longhorns is starting to turn.
The new topic is how No. 10 Texas is right back in the hunt for a berth in the Southeastern Conference championship game and flirting with the College Football Playoff, where the Longhorns were No. 11 in the initial rankings issued by the CFP selection committee this past Tuesday.
After an open date this weekend, Texas (7-2, 4-1 SEC) now heads to No. 5 Georgia (8-2, 6-1, No. 5 CFP) on Saturday night. It’s the start of a make-or-break stretch that will determine if the Longhorns can live up to those lofty preseason expectations as national title contenders.
Georgia’s lone loss this season was 24-21 to visiting Alabama in late September, and coach Kirby Smart’s Bulldogs pushed their winning streak to five games with Saturday’s 41-21 stomping of Mississippi State in Starkville. The visit from Texas will be their final SEC regular-season game.