AUSTIN, Texas — The stakes are high in the showdown between the No. 1 Texas Longhorns and the No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs.
Austin Mayor Kirk Watson made a charitable bet with Athens-Clarke County Mayor Kelly Girtz ahead of Saturday’s SEC showdown at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.
Watson said he would donate to Embark Georgia if the Bulldogs managed to take down the Longhorns. However, if Texas wins, Watson asked Girtz to donate to the University of Texas Counseling and Mental Health Center to help with mental health care for students.
Girtz accepted the challenge saying he would write a $100 to the counseling center “in the unlikely event” that the Longhorns win.
What is Embark Georgia?
Watson called Embark Georgia a wonderful program that helps students have access to college who have been homeless or in and out of foster care.
Embark Georgia is part of the greater Fostering Academic Achievement Nationwide network, which began in 2016. More than 150 campus-based programs are estimated to be a part of the network on two and four-year campuses in half of the United States.
What’s at stake on the field?
Two top-5 teams haven’t faced off in Austin since then-No. 2 Texas hosted No. 1 Ohio State in 2006.
With Texas, Texas A&M and LSU still undefeated in the SEC, another loss would put Georgia at risk of missing the conference championship and present an uphill battle for the Bulldogs to make the expanded College Football Playoff.
While Texas has been able to smother freshman starters in matchups against Mississippi State and Oklahoma, Georgia quarterback Carson Beck presents a unique challenge.
Beck, a senior, was a preseason All-American and holds a record of 18-2 as a starter, with a 6-2 record against top-20 opponents.