Why Georgia Could Be the Team to Beat in College Football Again

Georgia head football coach Kirby Smart won’t admit it, but by the fanbase’s lofty standards, the last two seasons in Athens have been disappointments.

Not because the Bulldogs weren’t very good – they’ve gone 23-5 and won the last two SEC Championships. But the playoff success that Smart and company have been known for hasn’t appeared since the dismantling of TCU in the 2022 title game.

As the program looks to return as the last team standing for the third time in six years, any dissatisfied fans shouldn’t expect another playoff whiff.

As many college teams prepare to struggle with continuity amid the constant roster turnover that this era of the sport has caused, Smart’s 2026 squad is a throwback to the days of four-year, legacy-building players.

While the majority of SEC teams will have a different starting quarterback in Week 1 than they had in the final game last year, Georgia will have Gunner Stockton. The homegrown, small-town, good ol’ boy from rural Tiger, Georgia, who quickly asserted himself as a fan favorite.

He’ll be even more beloved if he progresses as he’s anticipated to this year. After waiting his turn for three years in a quarterback room that boasted Stetson Bennett and Carson Beck, Stockton was given the reins last year and delivered as well as a first-year starter could be expected. He threw for 2,894 yards and 24 touchdowns while tying the conference-lead with 10 rushing scores as a quarterback.

With inexperience no longer viewed as a weakness for Stockton, the fate of the upcoming season rests heavily on the Bulldogs’ quiet leader. For Smart, there’s nobody he’d rather have in that position.

“He embodies what leadership is, and he doesn't do it through his mouth,” Smart said of Stockton. “We can't get the guy to talk half the time. But when he gets around the players, they know. They see the toughness he plays with. He embodies our program. Just love everything he stands for.”

As much as fans would welcome a high-octane, air-assault offense led by Stockton, Georgia football’s bread and butter will always be its run game. The Bulldogs return a wealth of experience there, too.

Including Stockton, Georgia’s four leading rushers from a year ago are back, spearheaded by juniors Nate Frazier (947 rushing yards, six touchdowns in 2025) and Chauncey Bowens (526 yards, six scores).

“We’re not ever going to get away from that,” Smart said of emphasizing the ground game. “We have to be able to run the football. Show me a good team that wins championships that can’t run the football. It just doesn’t happen. That’s not ever going to change in our program.”

By most accounts, Georgia opens up as the favorite to win its third consecutive SEC title. That’s due in no small part to the defensive experience that accompanies Stockton and the running backs.

After uncharacteristically finishing 23rd in the country in 2024 with 20.6 points allowed per game, last season was more like the Smart teams we’re used to. From Georgia’s 10th ranked defense (17.6 points surrendered per game), five starters were named as preseason All-SEC members. A sixth, safety Khalil Barnes, transferred over from Clemson.

Back from a season that saw Georgia hold seven opponents to 10 points or fewer are defensive lineman Elijah Griffin and Gabe Harris, linebacker Raylen Wilson and defensive backs KJ Bolden and Ellis Robinson IV – both touted as SEC First-Teamers and 2027 shoo-in NFL draft picks.

Again pointing to an area of strength of past champions, Smart – a defensive coach by trade – knows what he needs out of that strong returning unit.

“You look at the national champions from the last five, six years, they are effective at running the ball and they’re effective at stopping the run,” Smart said. “We’ve got to generate more turnovers and we’ve got to generate more havoc.”

With experience and talent at an intersection in Athens, not only will Georgia be in the running as the best in the SEC again, that postseason ‘drought’ should be coming to an end.