SEC Media Days has put Georgia right back in the center of the college football conversation, and the Bulldogs enter the 2026 season with a familiar target on their backs. They’re the two-time defending SEC champions, and now they’re chasing something only two other schools have pulled off since the SEC Championship game arrived in the early 90s: a third straight conference title.
That’s the backdrop for the preseason SEC power rankings, and Georgia sits where you’d expect at No. 1. Texas follows at No. 2, with Texas A&M, Alabama, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, LSU, Tennessee, Florida, Auburn, Missouri, Vanderbilt, South Carolina, Kentucky, Mississippi State and Arkansas rounding out the rest of the league.
The top of the conference feels pretty clear-cut. Texas and Georgia are in a tier of their own when it comes to winning the SEC, and the betting markets seem to agree. The expectation is that those two are the likeliest teams to meet in the SEC Championship game, but the Longhorns still have to prove they can turn preseason buzz into something real.
Behind Texas, Texas A&M and Alabama are the next most obvious threats. The Aggies came close to reaching the conference title game last season and bring back a lot of talent, while Alabama remains Alabama - always dangerous, always in the conversation.
Then there’s the next group: Oklahoma, LSU and Ole Miss. Each has a case.
Oklahoma may have the conference’s best defense. LSU is loaded and now has new head coach Lane Kiffin.
Ole Miss, meanwhile, brings in what the source identifies as the SEC’s best quarterback in Trinidad Chambliss.
For Georgia, though, the biggest issue isn’t the whole field. It’s a brutal four-game run that could shape everything.
That stretch starts in Week 6 with a road trip to Alabama and finishes with another major road game at Ole Miss. In between are home against Auburn and Florida in Atlanta.
That’s a nasty sequence, and all four opponents have reasons to make life difficult. Alabama and Ole Miss are both fully capable of beating Georgia, while Auburn and Florida will be fired up to finally beat UGA again. If the Bulldogs get through that stretch intact, they’ll be in strong position to reach the SEC Championship Game and put themselves in line for a high seed in the College Football Playoff.
In Other News...
Jon Sumrall Just Gave Georgia Fans A Familiar Reason To Laugh
Floridas new coach is already trying to stir the pot in a rivalry that has long tilted hard in Georgias favor. Jon Sumrall made it clear where his attention is headed, putting Georgia at the center of his early message and suggesting the Gators need to treat the matchup with more urgency if they want the series to feel competitive again.
For Georgia fans, it is the kind of declaration that usually lands with a smile, because talk has not changed the balance of this rivalry in years. Sumrall also hinted that past Florida coaches may not have approached Georgia with enough seriousness, but the Bulldogs have heard versions of this before and will be waiting for the response on the field before treating any of it as more than offseason noise. [Read more 🡒]
Aaron Murray Sees One Clear Hurdle For Gunner Stockton
Gunner Stocktons first season as Georgias full-time starter gave the Bulldogs plenty to build on, from an 11-1 regular season to an SEC championship run. Even with the playoff ending short of the finish Georgia wanted, the bigger picture around Stockton is still about growth, and former Bulldogs quarterback Aaron Murray sees one area that could help the next step come quickly.
Murray pointed to Stocktons work throwing between the hashes, especially when the ball is going to tight ends, as the clear hurdle to clear. Georgia has the kind of tight end room that can help make that happen, and if Stockton sharpens that part of his game, it could go a long way toward pushing the Bulldogs back into national title contention while also strengthening his own profile moving forward. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia Fans May Be Blaming Gunner Stockton For The Wrong Problem
Gunner Stocktons deep-ball numbers from Georgias 2025 season have become an easy target for fans looking for a culprit, but the picture is a little messier than a simple quarterback verdict. On throws traveling more than 20 yards in the air, Stockton finished 17-for-53, a completion rate that looks rough on the surface and even rougher when stacked against the sports best passers.
Georgias receivers did him few favors. The Bulldogs had six drops on those deep throws, and the issues went beyond a few missed catches, with route-running and pass protection also part of the conversation. Mike Bobos play-calling will always draw scrutiny in Athens, but the deeper question for 2026 is whether a more experienced receiver group and cleaner execution can turn Stocktons downfield work into a real strength. [Read more 🡒]