It’s never too early to think about college football. In 2026, the Georgia Bulldogs will look to bounce back, relatively speaking. The Dawgs will look to get back into title contention, as they have not won a playoff game since 2022. Georgia has still been phenomenal, winning back-to-back conference championships. Deep playoff runs are where UGA has fallen short the last three seasons despite going 36–6 during that time.
Will 2026 be the year?
ESPN is already making their assessments, releasing the “Way-Too-Early” 2026 team rankings.
ESPN’s “Way-Too-Early” ranking has Georgia at No. 4 for 2026.
Under Kirby Smart, UGA has been well respected preseason. Georgia has been given a top-five preseason AP Poll ranking every year since 2019. Twice in that span, the Bulldogs have been named preseason No. 1 by the AP Poll (2023 and 2024).
Considering UGA’s lack of playoff wins over the last few years and major transfer portal additions this offseason, I think this shows the public’s immense faith in Kirby Smart. Well-placed faith that the program Smart has built will be one of the nation’s best no matter what.
In what may surprise some and feel expected to others, ESPN ranks the Indiana Hoosiers as No. 1 for 2026. Indiana notably will lose Heisman Trophy quarterback Fernando Mendoza to the NFL.
Here’s how the whole top 10 shakes out:
- Indiana Hoosiers
- Texas Longhorns
- Notre Dame Fighting Irish
- Georgia Bulldogs
- Oregon Ducks
- Ohio State Buckeyes
- Texas Tech Red Raiders
- Miami Hurricanes
- Ole Miss Rebels
- Texas A&M Aggies
Outside of the wide receiver room, which is basically starting from scratch, UGA returns a large amount of its 2025 production next season. QB Gunner Stockton, who far exceeded expectations this season, will be back.
Georgia will have the on-field experience needed to prove this ranking wrong and finish No. 1.
