The Texas Longhorns continue to be in control of their own destiny, needing to win out to secure a spot in the College Football Playoff, but that is a task easier said than done. Fresh off a bye week and looking healthy, they hit the road to take on the top-ranked Georgia Bulldogs.

What has been viewed as a “monkey on their back” opponent, after going 0-2 against Kirby Smart and his team, including the SEC Championship loss that left a sour taste in their mouth, the rematch comes at a pivotal time for both teams. Can the Longhorns continue rolling and get their first win over the Bulldogs since joining the SEC last season?

Here’s how to watch one of week 12’s most exciting matchups.

The Bulldogs this season aren’t the same team they have been this decade. While generally known for their toughness and ability to defeat, this season they have shown that they do have chinks in their armor, especially on the defensive side of the ball, which is unlike what fans are accustomed to from them.

They are fourth in the conference in opponent yards per game, allowing 310.78, while being seventh in the SEC on the offensive side, averaging 436.33 yards per game. However, the biggest defense is what used to be the best defensive front in the conference, which ranks dead last in sacks this season with only 11, compared to the Longhorns, who are tied in first with 36.

The Bulldogs only have one loss this season, a 24-21 loss to the red-hot Alabama Crimson Tide. Still, they have played close games against other teams in the conference, including wins against the Florida Gators, Tennessee Volunteers, and the Ole Miss Rebels by a combined 15 points.

Georgia Tech is fresh off a bye week and will face Boston College on Saturday. At 8-1 and 5-1 in the ACC, everything is ahead of the Yellow Jackets with three games left in the regular season. The Yellow Jackets control their own destiny. They are a strong favorite to make the ACC championship with the highest odds in the conference. Georgia Tech has one of the best offenses in football and has leaned on it for one of its best seasons in the Brent Key era. 

Coming into the matchup against the Eagles, Georgia Tech is highly favored. 
According to FanDuel Sportsbook, Georgia Tech is a 16.5 favorite and the over/under is at 58.5 as the opening odds. Boston College is 1-9 and has lost nine consecutive games this season. The Eagles are still in search of their first ACC win this season. Despite the record, Boston College will be playing with no pressure and house money, going up against ranked Georgia Tech, looking to put a wrench into their season. Georgia Tech will have to come in and be ready to go. 

The practices have produced good results during the bye week, and Georgia Tech is looking to be healthier in the contest on Saturday. 

“So this time of year, it’s a good combination of getting healthy, getting players back healthy and mending up things that you’re not doing well or didn’t do well and improving on that and adding complementary things to your offense defense, kicking game and improving overall as a team,” said head coach Brent Key. 

There was no big difference in the schedule for the Yellow Jackets, they still had practice on their regular days and ran a lot of good on good. Similar to what they did in fall camp in preparation for the season. With a focused bunch and corrections throughout the bye week, it should be a formula for success for the Yellow Jackets. 

“You have certain days that we’re going to go out and practice. We tweak and alter and change the practice based on what we need. We’re going to practice on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday regardless. Now it changes a little bit depending on when your game is the following week. Sometimes you have Thursday or Friday, or Saturday, depending on that. But the schedule is the same. The schedule is the same. What you do within that time, yeah, that changes. Going back to what you’re self-scouting, you’re recruiting. The amount of practice you need, the things you need to get done, yet you also have to get guys healthy and get them back. So it’s all in all. You get in the back part of the season, right? That goes the same for any week,” said Key. 

Georgia Tech will be back in action on ACC Network at 3:30 PM against Boston College. 

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