One of Texas’ biggest problems throughout the 2010s was the program could not meet the moment. For most big games, the Longhorns would come up short.

Steve Sarkisian has built a program meant for long-term success. That means “big humans” up front, the right amount of skill players, a style of brutal physicality and a mindset where the coach wants players to “be enamored with us.”

Winning last season’s Big 12 title was nice. But the Horns are now in the SEC, believed by many to be the best college football conference in America.

Sarkisian has No. 2 Texas (11-1) in a spot to become the league’s new standard bearer in its first year. The Horns can clinch a first-round bye in the College Football Playoffs. All they must do is beat No. 5 Georgia (10-2), a program making its fourth straight trip to Atlanta under coach Kirby Smart.

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ABC has gotten blowout numbers all season long by featuring SEC teams. The first Georgia-Texas game was UT’s most-watched game of the year with 13.2 million viewers. This time around, Texas is a 2 1/2-point favorite. Kickoff is 3 p.m.

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“Winning an SEC Championship is one we hold in very high regard,” Sarkisian said Thursday. “Being a part of this game is something we hold in high regard. Our guys have worked extremely hard to get to this point.

“We take this very seriously. This is a big deal to us,” he added. “I think so many times in the world that we live in, it's focusing on what’s next, what's next, what's next, the CFP, the national championship. Hey, we’ve got a great goal in front of us that we have an opportunity to achieve, that I’m sure Kirby and his team feel the same way.”

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Here are three key storylines to watch:

Will Sarkisian continue to utilize Arch Manning?

Every Georgia fan saw how Georgia Tech’s Haynes King ran wild last week in their rivalry game. Surely Sarkisian saw that, too. Texas starter Quinn Ewers’ ankle continues to improve, but Ewers simply isn’t as mobile as Manning. Georgia defensive coaches no doubt studied how the Horns used Manning against Texas A&M and watched that 15-yard touchdown run.

“He continues to prepare at a really high level,” Sarkisian said of Manning. “So inevitably as you work your way through a season, sometimes you got to keep a few things up your sleeve. That's the way it goes.”

Said Smart: “There’s too much offense they can select from to try to chase ghosts. You have to do it on principle. No different than Arch. We’ve practiced knowing Arch can be in there. Had to defend a lot of quarterback runs.”

Does Kelvin Banks’ injury change things up front?

Texas starting left tackle was listed as questionable this week on the SEC availability report. He’s a projected first-round draft pick. Yes, Banks is critical. But he went down early against A&M, and the Horns didn’t miss a beat with backup Trevor Goosby. The redshirt freshman had the highest pass blocking grades of any UT lineman. That said, expect Smart to challenge Goosby by disguising blitz packages off the edge, something that worked well against UT on Oct. 19.

Does Texas’ defense hold up well against Carson Beck?

Yes, Texas gave up 30 points in the first game at Royal-Memorial Stadium. But look at all those short fields the Longhorns’ defense faced after the offensive turnovers. The loss wasn’t the result of bad or porous defense. The Horns could finish the year with the No. 1-ranked scoring defense and No. 1 total defense. They’ve allowed only four passing touchdowns all season, tied for the lowest total in the nation.

“They have instinctive defensive football players, especially on the second level where they read routes, they jump routes,” Smart said. “They do a tremendous job.”