Georgia fans are realistically talking about a championship season for the Bulldogs. What they prefer not to talk about is Georgia's schedule. Based on ESPN's preseason FPI, the highest-ranked team the Bulldogs will play is the Alabama Crimson Tide.
ESPN's computer model ranks Georgia's Strength of Schedule(SOS) as the weakest in the SEC. Of course, because of the deep strength of SEC teams compared to the other Power Fours, being last among SEC teams is also No. 20 among all FBS teams.
Georgia sites address the Bulldogs' schedule carefully. UGA Wire wrote that the Bulldogs will not have an easy path back to the SEC championship in Atlanta, Georgia. Dawg Nation headlined a post: "Georgia may have weakest SEC schedule in 2026, but it will be far from easy" and added, "On paper, this upcoming Georgia football schedule doesn’t seem as daunting as past iterations." SI's Georgia site called the schedule "fairly challenging."
Dawg Nation predicted that the Bulldogs will go 11-1 in the regular season, including a win over Alabama in Tuscaloosa. The site also admitted that picking Georgia to win in Bryant-Denny is a "fool's errand." I suspect the author meant a theoretical fool's errand, but history is certainly on the side of the Crimson Tide. The Bulldogs have not won in Tuscaloosa since an overtime win in 2007. Kirby Smart was Alabama's defensive backfield coach that season.
Perhaps the history makes some Georgia fans apprehensive about the Oct. 10 contest. They should not be overly concerned. The Georgia schedule should mean the Bulldogs will be playing in Atlanta in December. Georgia fans can also point out that other possible championship contenders have weaker schedules. Oregon is not far below Georgia at No. 26, but Miami has a No. 45 SOS, Notre Dame No. 56, and Texas Tech No. 71.
There is an additional argument that, because of the source's ties to Auburn, I grudgingly mention. SMU coach Rhett Lashlee is correct about preseason SOS projections. With rosters rebuilt annually, no model can accurately predict schedule strength without in-season game data.
Note: My prediction for the Alabama vs. Georgia game is available here.
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