Georgia enters the season with plenty of respect, but not much belief it can finish the job.
The Bulldogs are the top-ranked SEC team in the AP Poll and were picked to win the league at media days, yet the national championship conversation is telling a different story. None of ESPN’s 12 panelists chose Georgia in their preseason roundtable, even though Notre Dame, Ohio State and Texas drew the most support. That stands out because Notre Dame and Texas were ranked below Georgia in the initial AP Poll.
Still, all 12 of those ESPN panelists did tab Georgia as a College Football Playoff team this season.
That split says plenty about where the Bulldogs sit entering the year: viewed as solid, dangerous and good enough to reach the postseason, but not quite trusted as a true title favorite.
Quarterback Gunner Stockton fits that image as well. CBS Sports ranked him No. 12 among quarterbacks heading into the season, and David Cobb explained why the conversation around Georgia keeps circling back to him.
“Stockton proved he’s got a high floor during his first season as the full-time starter in 2025, guiding Georgia to an SEC title,” David Cobb of CBS Sports wrote. “But Georgia’s ceiling as a team will, to some extent, depend on Stockton’s ability to elevate from “reliably efficient” to something more. The Bulldogs need an alpha to emerge within their receiver room to help Stockton, who ranked 129th among FBS quarterbacks in air yards per attempt at just 6.6 in 2025.”
That receiver room has been one of the biggest offseason talking points around Georgia, and Kirby Smart made it clear this week what he wants from the group.
“Be the guy that executes better than the guy you’re across from,” Smart said. “Tight end, kicker, any position we’ve got.
Defensively, outside linebacker. I want all those guys to perform at a high level and do it regardless of who the opponent is.
It doesn’t matter who the opponent is. Our opponent is ourselves and that’s pretty much going to be the case every week.
Wideouts are no different.”
Georgia does have proven strength elsewhere, including its running back and tight end rooms, but the Bulldogs still need multiple wideouts to step forward if they want to change the way people talk about them.
The early schedule won’t force an immediate reckoning. Georgia opens with Tennessee State and Western Kentucky, and its first ranked matchup doesn’t arrive until Sept. 26 against Oklahoma.
The bigger issue is the recent playoff trend. Georgia has lost its first College Football Playoff game in each of the past two seasons, and the program knows that to alter the growing skepticism, it has to deliver when the season reaches its final stretch.
“Remember, Georgia has yet to win a CFP game in the expanded 12-team field,” Ari Wasserman of On3 said. “This is another one where it feels like it’s either a run to the national title game or there’s no return on investment. I need to see Georgia break through and win on the biggest stage in this new environment before I’m on the wagon with everyone else just assuming it’s going to happen again.”
Georgia opens the season Saturday at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
In Other News...
Georgia Has A New Reason To Be Furious With LSU
A Louisiana judges injunction has added another layer to the eligibility fight surrounding college football, and Georgia has every reason to watch it closely. The ruling lets certain players, including DaeQuan Wright, return to the sport despite NCAA concerns, after LSU used an eligibility loophole to bring in a player who had previously been under contract with the Cleveland Browns.
For Georgia, the issue goes beyond one roster move. Kirby Smart has already voiced concerns about how fair the ruling is, and SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey has pushed back as well, putting the league squarely in the middle of the dispute. Georgia Governor Brian Kemp also weighed in on social media in support of the SEC and the University of Georgia, underscoring how much this decision has resonated beyond Baton Rouge. [Read more 🡒]
Georgias Opener Could Hinge On One Early Problem They Must Avoid
Georgias opener figures to be shaped by the same basic traits that have driven Kirby Smarts best teams: clean football, early rhythm and a defense that keeps opponents from settling in. The Bulldogs have leaned on a strong turnover margin, fast starts, third-down stops and efficient, quick-hitting offense to control games before they can turn into uncomfortable slugfests. Even special teams matters here, because one mistake in that phase can undo a lot of the discipline Georgia usually tries to build into a game plan.
There is also some natural pressure on the offense to find its footing early after offseason turnover at receiver, which makes the opening script even more important. If Georgia can avoid the kind of early lapse that shifts momentum, it can play from ahead and keep the game on its terms. If it does not, the margin for error gets thinner in a hurry, especially against an opponent waiting for any sign of hesitation or frustration. [Read more 🡒]
Kirby Smart At 50 Still Sounds Like Georgias Championship Standard
Kirby Smart heads into his eleventh season at Georgia still sounding like a coach driven more by the next standard than the last celebration. At 50, he has already built a program defined by championships and relentless expectations, but his attention remains on the same basics that got the Bulldogs here in the first place: winning, coaching, and finding players who fit the culture he wants around him.
Smart has long made it clear that recruiting is about more than talent, and respect remains a trait he keeps coming back to when he talks about the kind of roster Georgia needs. He draws ideas from across the sports world and different philosophies, but the through line is unchanged, he is still pushing to bring glory to his alma mater while coaching with the same urgency that defined him long before the trophies arrived. [Read more 🡒]