No. 2 Texas has reached the SEC Championship Game in its first season as a member of the conference, but an important member of the team will not be making the trip to Atlanta.
Bevo XV, the real-life Longhorn mascot, was not permitted to travel for Texas' highly anticipated matchup against No. 5 Georgia.
Enclosure space for the mascot, which weighs 1,700 pounds and has a 58-inch horn span, was a primary concern, according to an SEC spokesperson, via ESPN.
"When we received the request for Bevo to be on the sideline in Mercedes-Benz Stadium, our staff looked at several alternatives including the sideline location," the SEC said in a statement. "The reality is there is limited sideline space at the stadium. We can't jeopardize the safety of Bevo or the game participants. With the narrow sidelines, location of multiple sets for television and camera carts, there is not enough space. While we want to honor tradition across the conference, the space limitation is a reality."
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Texas and Georgia already met up in a heated game earlier this season, as the Bulldogs went on the road and handed the Longhorns their lone loss of the year thus far.
While the two schools only became conference rivals this year, the history between their mascots dates back to 2019.
Bevo and Uga, Georgia's real-life bulldog mascot, were preparing for a photo op at the Sugar Bowl when Bevo charged out of his pen and knocked over a police barricade.
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One year ago today, Bevo had the audacity to go after Uga 😮 pic.twitter.com/U4czUR2zxz
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 1, 2020
Uga XI did not make the trip to Austin, Texas, in October, but he is expected to be on the sidelines Saturday at Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which is about 70 miles from the University of Georgia campus in Athens.
No. 2 Texas will face No. 5 Georgia at 3 p.m. Central time.
