Until last season, Georgia hadn't played for a national championship since 1982, when it was still riding the back of Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker, who had led the Bulldogs to a national title only two years earlier as a freshman.
Before the 2005 season, when star quarterback Vince Young led Texas to a 41-38 upset of USC in the Rose Bowl in what was arguably the greatest college football game ever played, the Longhorns hadn't won a national title in 35 years.
They've sniffed one only once since.
Despite being members of different conferences, rarely playing each other and being separated by about 1,000 miles, the No.