No. 15 Texas football will face off against No. 5 Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. The game will take place at 7:45 p.m. on New Year’s Day, and be broadcast live nationally on ESPN.

The Longhorns qualified for the Big 12’s automatic berth to the Sugar Bowl after Oklahoma earned a trip to the College Football Playoff. After losing 39-27 in the Big 12 Championship game, Texas finished as Big 12 runners-up, and earned the conference’s bowl bid. Texas also ranked as the second-best Big 12 team, one spot ahead of No. 16 West Virginia. 

“I’ve never been to a bad bowl game, so they’re all good. Obviously, those New Year’s Six ones are special,” Texas coach Tom Herman said. “The ones that I’ve been a part of  are phenomenally well run, great experiences for our players and it would be an honor to represent our university in one of those games.”

Texas hasn’t been to a New Year’s Six or BCS bowl since playing in the national championship game after the 2009 season. The Longhorns haven’t played in the Sugar Bowl since John Mackovic’s fourth year in 1995, when Texas lost 28-10 to Virginia Tech. The Big 12 gained a guaranteed Sugar Bowl tie-in starting in 2015.

Longhorns coach Tom Herman led his then-Houston Cougars to a Peach Bowl win over Florida State in 2015. He also coached in the Orange Bowl, Sugar Bowl and national championship game as offensive coordinator under Urban Meyer at Ohio State. Herman is 3-1 in major bowl games, and 2-0 overall as a head coach in postseason play.

However, the task won’t be easy. Texas plays a hungry Georgia team that lost against No. 1 overall Alabama in the final minute of the SEC Championship Game. Since Alabama went to the playoff, Georgia earned the SEC’s automatic qualification. The Bulldogs finished the year 11-2 and with three teams that finished ranked in the final AP Top 25.

Texas and Georgia have played four times in program history, with the Longhorns holding a 3-1 series lead. However, the Bulldogs won the only matchup after 1960 with a 10-9 win in the 1984 Cotton Bowl. 

This is the second straight year Texas will play an SEC opponent in its bowl game. The Longhorns demolished Missouri 33-16 in the Texas Bowl last year.