Rece Davis isn’t backing away from Georgia in the SEC race.
On the latest College GameDay podcast, the longtime ESPN voice said he expects the Bulldogs to beat Texas in the 2026 SEC Championship Game on Dec. 5 in Atlanta. Pete Thamel and Dan Wetzel each landed on different teams, but Davis stuck with the two-time defending league champs.
He didn’t exactly sound torn about it, either.
"I'm going to go way out on a limb, something highly unusual, and I said that facetiously. Georgia and Texas.
Georgia wins because that's what Georgia does. They win the SEC.
Until Texas beats them, I'll need to see it to believe it. Maybe Coach Boom will change things around."
That “Coach Boom” reference points to Will Muschamp, Texas’ new defensive coordinator. Steve Sarkisian moved on from Pete Kwiatkowski in January and brought in Muschamp, who previously worked on Kirby Smart’s Georgia staff and also coordinated the Texas defense from 2008 through 2010. ESPN labeled the hire the biggest X-factor for the Longhorns this season.
Davis made the pick at the end of the podcast’s first SEC preview episode, while Thamel chose Texas over LSU and Wetzel went with Oklahoma over Texas.
The preseason rankings line up with the heavyweight feel of the matchup. Georgia opens at No. 3 in the AP Top 25, with Texas right behind at No.
- Neither program landed a first-place vote, as Ohio State and Oregon soaked up almost all of them.
Georgia is coming off a 12-2 season that ended with a 28-7 win over Alabama in the SEC title game. The Bulldogs then fell 39-34 to Ole Miss in the Sugar Bowl quarterfinal. Gunner Stockton returns at quarterback after finishing seventh in Heisman Trophy voting.
There are still a few questions in Athens. Georgia’s defense has been the early bright spot in fall camp, while Smart wasn’t pleased with the offense after the first scrimmage.
The Bulldogs also have to replace a new group of receivers. Their toughest road trips are to Alabama on Oct. 10 and Ole Miss on Nov.
Texas, meanwhile, finished 10-3 and missed the College Football Playoff. The Longhorns ended last season with a 41-27 Citrus Bowl victory over Michigan. Arch Manning is back for his second year as the starter, and the roster got a boost from the portal with receiver Cam Coleman and running backs Hollywood Smothers and Raleek Brown.
The Longhorns also welcomed back left tackle Trevor Goosby instead of losing him to the NFL Draft. He was a first-team All-SEC selection in 2025, though he left practice Monday with what appeared to be a knee injury and is set for testing Tuesday morning.
At SEC Media Days, the same title-game pairing Davis picked drew the most support from the league’s journalists. Georgia collected 88 votes to win the conference, while Texas received 57.
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