Georgia Eyes SEC Three-Peat-and a Place in History
Georgia enters the 2026 college football season with a familiar target on its back-and a chance to make some serious history. After wrapping up a 12-2 campaign that included back-to-back SEC titles and a second straight Sugar Bowl loss in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals, the Bulldogs are once again in the national spotlight. Ranked No. 3 in CBS Sports' way-too-early Top 25, Georgia is being tabbed for a bold feat: becoming just the third program ever to win three consecutive SEC Championship Games.
The Bold Prediction: A Third Straight SEC Title
It might not feel “bold” to suggest Georgia can win the SEC again-after all, Kirby Smart has coached his team to the title game in eight of the last nine seasons-but history tells us how rare this kind of dominance really is. In the 34-year history of the SEC Championship Game, only two programs have pulled off the three-peat: Alabama from 2014 to 2016 and Florida from 1993 to 1996. If Georgia can run the gauntlet again in 2026, they’ll be joining some elite company.
The Bulldogs have reloaded once more and will enter the fall with the same expectations they’ve carried for nearly a decade: win the SEC, make the Playoff, and chase a national title. But with the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff now in place, there’s been growing chatter around how much the SEC Championship still matters in the grand scheme. Kirby Smart has made it clear-he’s not here for that debate.
Kirby Smart: “It Means the World to Me”
After Georgia’s convincing 28-7 win over Alabama in the 2025 SEC title game, Smart didn’t hold back on what the game still represents to him and his program.
“It means the world to me,” Smart said in a postgame interview on SEC Network. “I grew up in this footprint. I am an SEC kid like these guys.”
Smart reflected on the legacy of Roy Kramer-the former SEC commissioner who helped create the championship game-and the emotional weight of being part of something bigger than just a football contest.
“I almost got emotional,” Smart admitted. “His dream was this game.
His dream was this conference. He put this together.
I have been so fortunate to be a part of so many. Just so blessed.
I love the SEC, and I spent so many years here. I love this team.”
It’s not just nostalgia talking. For Smart, the SEC Championship still holds a unique place in the sport’s landscape-even as the College Football Playoff takes center stage.
“I don’t want to say it’s bigger than the national championship-I’m not saying that,” Smart added. “But to so many people who are so passionate about it, it means so much. I would hate to see it go.”
The Stakes Are Still High
Smart’s passion underscores a key point: while the Playoff may determine the national champion, the SEC Championship still defines legacies. Winning it three years in a row? That’s not just dominance-that’s dynasty territory.
Georgia has the blueprint, the talent, and the leadership to make that happen. But in the SEC, nothing comes easy. The road to Atlanta is always brutal, and the target on Georgia’s back has never been bigger.
Still, if you’ve been paying attention to what Kirby Smart has built in Athens, you know one thing: this team isn’t scared of the moment. They’re chasing history, and they just might catch it.