5 Ripple Effects of Georgia's Massive Upset Win Over No. 1 Texas
Georgia won a meaningful football game.
Normally, such a sentence would not serve as a surprise. Over the past six years, Kirby Smart's team has turned a very difficult task into a normal weekly ritual. This year, that has not been the case.
On Saturday night, order was restored. Against the nation's No. 1 team, Georgia looked like the Georgia of old. The Bulldogs conquered unbeaten Texas on the road, a result that served as the latest wild outcome in a stretch of wild weeks in college football.
While Georgia and Texas will each factor in the national race moving forward, the ramifications following these upset stretches beyond these two teams.
Here's a look at the impact a wild result will have on the rest of the year.
The SEC Is Suddenly Wide Open and Very Weird
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Texas entered Saturday as the team to beat in the SEC. Then it lost.
Now, the conference that has largely been top-heavy over the past decade is a glorious mess.
The two remaining teams unbeaten in conference play? That would be LSU and Texas A&M, two schools that lost out-of-conference games in Week 1. While the season started with disappointments, both teams have found themselves when it mattered.
Tennessee, Georgia, Texas, Missouri and (you guessed it) Vanderbilt all have one loss. The fact that Alabama is excluded from this conversation is a) somewhat shocking and b) symbolic of the conference's current state.
As the second half of the season kicks in, this expanded SEC has delivered in a way many never thought possible. It has cannibalized itself, and the end result is glorious drama.
While it's unclear how it will shake out, Texas and Texas A&M will play each other (finally) this year, and the stakes could be enormous.
Oregon Is the Team to Beat Until Further Notice
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After the Ducks beat Ohio State in Week 7, this sentiment was already established for many. Still, Texas was No. 1 in the AP poll heading into the weekend.
After the Longhorns lost on Saturday night, there isn't any lingering debate.
Oregon, fresh off a shutout win over Purdue, is the No. 1 team in college football. And it might stay that way for a while. The Ducks play Illinois, a solid team coming off a solid win over Michigan, next.
The good news? They will do so at home.
After that, they'll play at Michigan, Maryland, at Wisconsin and Washington. These teams have had moments, although Oregon has talent advantages against them all.
While Dan Lanning's team could lose before the Big Ten Championship Game, all signs are pointing toward the Ducks hanging onto the top spot for quite a while.
Georgia Is Still a Force to Be Dealt With
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College football moves quickly.
A few short weeks ago, the Bulldogs were getting obliterated by Alabama. A week before that, they nearly lost to Kentucky.
For much of the year, Georgia hasn't looked right. The defense has had its struggles, and QB Carson Beck, who still had turnover issues against Texas, hasn't been the player we thought we were getting.
Despite the various challenges Georgia has had, the talent and speed jumped off the screen in Week 8. The pass rush, in particular, was a force. For as good as the Texas offense has been, it never quite got going.
The concerns about Beck's play are valid, although he still had enough key moments to produce confidence moving forward.
This isn't the same Georgia team that we saw a few seasons ago. Let's make that clear. But the talent is once again enormous, and there's a chance all these glorious pieces come together in the weeks ahead.
At the very least, we must take this group seriously again. (If you somehow forgot.)
The Texas Quarterback Situation Has Arrived
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Let's make something abundantly clear: Quinn Ewers is still the guy in Austin.
For now.
One of the Heisman Trophy favorites entering the season, Ewers has battled injuries, including one this season that forced him to miss time, during his time with the Longhorns. On Saturday, when the Texas defensive line fell apart, Ewers was pulled from the game and replaced by the more mobile Arch Manning in the first half.
Ewers returned as starter in the second half, which is noteworthy. But the decision to go to Manning, who has had plenty of reps this season, is curious. Ewers did not play particularly well when he returned, and that's perhaps the most noteworthy.
Steve Sarkisian has now showcased that, when both are healthy, Manning is an option. If there's another night like this, the quarterback controversy that many expected initially could hit overdrive.
Like the SEC, the College Football Playoff Picture Is Anything but Clear
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Georgia's win over Texas wasn't the only major result to come in during Week 8, although it did solidify a trend that is blanketing the sport every single week.
The only constant is change.
This has become a theme during the offseason, although it's carried over, thankfully, to the actual games. As the meat of the season commences and conference play becomes the norm, there are more questions than answers.
Sure, Oregon is a deserving No. 1. That's established. But with the 12-team postseason set to debut, the sport currently lacks clarity and dominant teams.
None of this is a bad thing. In fact, it's quite the contrary. Let the chaos build and grow.
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