Georgia landed at No. 5 in ESPN’s first Football Power Index release for the 2026 college football season, but the number comes with the usual preseason warning label: take it with a grain of salt.
FPI is ESPN’s algorithm-driven ranking system, built from a mix of stats and projections that try to estimate how many points a team is above or below average. The model uses 20,000 simulations of the rest of the season, factoring in results to date, the remaining schedule, unit efficiency, opponent adjustments, prior year data, recruiting, game projections and season simulations. In other words, it’s designed to turn a pile of numbers into a forecast.
That sounds useful once the season has actually started. In the preseason, it can look a lot shakier.
Georgia sitting fifth may look respectable on the surface, but the ranking also suggests the Bulldogs are probably being shortchanged a bit, while a few teams ahead of them are getting a boost that feels hard to justify this early. The bigger issue, though, is the bottom of the list, where the whole thing gets messy fast.
South Carolina and Auburn showing up in the Top 25 at this stage drew plenty of skepticism, and Tennessee remains one of those teams the computers seem unwilling to give up on no matter how often the results disappoint.
That’s the problem with preseason rankings in general: they’re conversation starters, not evidence. And the recent track record for ESPN’s preseason FPI hasn’t exactly inspired confidence.
Looking back at the last two preseason FPI releases, 45% of ranked SEC teams finished unranked in 2024, and 54% did in 2025. Across those two seasons, 48% of teams finished unranked.
So while Georgia being listed fifth might be nice to see, treating it like a meaningful verdict is a stretch. The same goes for getting worked up about being behind Oregon and Texas. Based on how these preseason FPI numbers have played out lately, the smarter move is probably to wait for the games to start before trusting the machine.
In Other News...
Georgia Faces A Growing SEC Debate It Cant Ignore
As more SEC schools keep leaning into entertainment districts as a way to reshape the fan experience and open new revenue streams, Georgia is still taking a more cautious path. Athletic director Josh Brooks said the university does not have an immediate plan for a district of its own, largely because of campus space limitations, but he also left the door open to land-use possibilities that could eventually change the conversation.
For now, the focus is on making better use of what already exists. Brooks pointed to Sanford Stadium, Stegeman Coliseum and Foley Field as venues that could help bring in more non-sports events, part of a broader effort to generate revenue without rushing into a major development project. The bigger question is whether Georgia can keep pace with the SECs latest trend while waiting for the right opportunity to emerge south of campus. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia Just Reopened A Frustrating Future Schedule Debate
Georgias 2028 football schedule just got a little more interesting after Florida A&M and the Bulldogs mutually canceled their planned Sept. 9 game at Sanford Stadium. The date is now open, and it lands on a slate that already looks packed with 11 Power 4 opponents, a nine-game SEC schedule and neutral-site matchups against Florida State and Florida.
So the real question is less about whether Georgia will fill the spot than what kind of game it wants there. The expectation is that the Bulldogs will add another home opponent that does not raise the degree of difficulty much, a familiar kind of scheduling move for a program that has long balanced a brutal conference grind with a softer nonleague date or two. Kirby Smart has also made clear before that he knows when a matchup is lopsided, which is part of why this latest opening has reopened a debate Georgia fans know well. [Read more 🡒]