No. 3 Texas meets No. 20 Texas A&M at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday – and a berth in the SEC championship game is at stake.
Imagine saying that on Nov. 24, 2011. That was the last time the Longhorns and Aggies met on the football field – a game Texas won 27-25 the season before Texas A&M left for the SEC.
Now, those teams are a huge piece in the SEC championship game puzzle in Rivalry Week. No. 6 Georgia – which has played in the SEC championship game in six of the last seven seasons – has clinched a spot in the conference championship game.
A look at the scenarios for the SEC championship game and who will play in it.
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SEC championship scenarios 2024
Three teams are still in the SEC championship game picture. A look at their paths to the conference championship game:
Texas (10-1, 6-1 SEC)
- The Longhorns clinch a spot in the SEC championship game with a victory against Texas A&M.
- If Texas wins, then it will face Georgia in the SEC championship game.
- If Texas loses, then they will fall out of the SEC championship game because its cumulative conference winning percentage will be lower than Texas A&M.
Georgia (9-2, 6-2 SEC)
-The Bulldogs have clinched a spot in the SEC championship game with a 6-2 conference record. They will play the winner of the matchup between Texas and Texas A&M.
- If Texas wins, then the Bulldogs will be the No. 2 seed.
- If Texas A&M wins, then Georgia will likely be the No. 2 seed because the Aggies will likely have a higher cumulative conference winning percentage among its SEC opponents.
Texas A&M (8-3, 5-2 SEC)
- The Aggies clinch a spot in the SEC championship game with a victory against Texas.
- If Texas A&M wins, then it will face Georgia in the SEC championship game. The Aggies will likely have a higher cumulative conference winning percentage among its SEC opponents, so they will be the No. 1 seed.
- If Texas A&M loses, then they will not make the SEC championship game and likely fall out of the College Football Playoff picture because that would be a fourth loss this season.
What about No. 7 Tennessee? The Volunteers are 9-2 with a 5-2 record in SEC play and could finish 5-2 with a win over Vanderbilt. But the Vols lost to Georgia. If Texas A&M beats Texas, then the Aggies would have a victory against the highest opponent in the SEC standings – the third tiebreaker. Tennessee can still make the College Football Playoff, but they cannot play in the SEC championship game.
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Who will play in the SEC championship game?
We predicted that Texas beats Texas A&M 29-22 on Rivalry Week, which would put the Longhorns in the SEC championship game against Georgia. The Bulldogs beat the Longhorns 30-16 on Oct. 19.
One potential chaos scenario involves a Texas A&M victory coupled with Georgia losing to Georgia Tech on Black Friday. That would mean the SEC championship would be played between two teams with three losses this season.
The SEC championship game starts at 4 p.m. ET on Dec. 7 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The game will be televised on ABC.
