Manuel acknowledged Georgia’s beatdown of Texas — maybe the best road win by any school this season — but called the Longhorns “a very strong team” deserving of their top-three seed. He cited their top five defense and credited Quinn Ewers for leading “one of the top passing offenses in the country.”

Texas holds steady at No. 3 in the third College Football Playoff rankings as a pivotal showdown at Texas A&M with huge ramifications looms in two weeks.