The Georgia Bulldogs’ 2026 football schedule is officially set, and it comes with a historic first: for the first time in conference history, Georgia will play a full nine-game SEC schedule. Released by the SEC and presented by Georgia Power, the slate features a mix of marquee home games, difficult true road trips, and a notable change to one of college football’s most storied rivalries. Here’s the complete, game-by-game breakdown of Georgia’s 2026 football schedule.
Georgia Bulldogs 2026 Football Schedule: Full Game-by-Game List
- Sept. 5 — vs. Tennessee State (Sanford Stadium, Athens) — First-ever meeting between the two programs.
- Sept. 12 — vs. Western Kentucky (Sanford Stadium, Athens) — Only the second all-time meeting; Georgia beat the Hilltoppers 48-12 in Athens back in 2006.
- Sept. 19 — at Arkansas (Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium, Fayetteville)
- Sept. 26 — vs. Oklahoma (Sanford Stadium, Athens) — Just the second all-time meeting between the two programs; Georgia’s 54-48 overtime win over the Sooners in the 2017 Rose Bowl remains a Playoff classic.
- Oct. 3 — vs. Vanderbilt (Sanford Stadium, Athens)
- Oct. 10 — at Alabama (Bryant-Denny Stadium, Tuscaloosa)
- Oct. 17 — vs. Auburn (Sanford Stadium, Athens)
- Oct. 24 — Open Date (Bye Week)
- Oct. 31 — vs. Florida (Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta) — Played outside Jacksonville for the first time since 1995, while EverBank Stadium undergoes renovations. The rivalry returns to Jacksonville in 2028, with the 2027 edition set for Tampa.
- Nov. 7 — at Ole Miss (Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, Oxford)
- Nov. 14 — vs. Missouri (Sanford Stadium, Athens)
- Nov. 21 — at South Carolina (Williams-Brice Stadium, Columbia)
- Nov. 28 — vs. Georgia Tech (Sanford Stadium, Athens) — The regular-season finale in the in-state rivalry.
Should Georgia qualify, the SEC Championship Game would follow in early December at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
Home and Away Breakdown
Georgia will play seven true home games at Sanford Stadium in 2026: Tennessee State, Western Kentucky, Oklahoma, Vanderbilt, Auburn, Missouri and Georgia Tech. The Bulldogs will hit the road for four true away games against Arkansas, Alabama, Ole Miss and South Carolina, while the annual Florida game shifts to a neutral-site matchup at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta for the first time since 1995.
Why Georgia’s 2026 Schedule Is Historic
The headline change for 2026 is the SEC’s move to a nine-game conference schedule, marking the first time in league history Georgia — and every other SEC program — will play that many conference games in a single season. Georgia’s nonconference slate rounds out with Tennessee State and Western Kentucky joining a Georgia Tech matchup that closes the regular season, giving the Bulldogs three nonconference opponents overall.
It’s also worth noting a schedule change that occurred before the full slate was finalized: Georgia and Louisville mutually agreed to cancel a previously scheduled home-and-home series that had been set to begin in 2026, opening the door for the current nonconference lineup.
Kirby Smart’s Concerns About the Expanded Schedule
Not everyone in the Georgia program is fully on board with the expanded nine-game SEC slate. Speaking after Georgia’s win over Alabama in the 2025 SEC Championship Game, head coach Kirby Smart voiced real concern about the physical toll of playing an additional conference game each season, noting how banged up both teams looked after their ninth game of the year and pointing out that Georgia will now face that same workload again in 2026. Smart made clear that concern about the added game is shared broadly among coaches across the conference.
Where Georgia’s Toughest Tests Will Come
Based on the schedule alone, a handful of matchups stand out as the biggest tests on Georgia’s slate. The road trip to Alabama on Oct. 10 and the road trip to Ole Miss on Nov. 7 both carry serious SEC title implications, while the home matchup with Oklahoma on Sept. 26 offers an early measuring-stick game against a proven Playoff-caliber opponent. The annual Florida game, now relocated to Atlanta, remains one of the most historically significant rivalry games on the schedule regardless of venue.
Final Thoughts
Georgia’s 2026 football schedule reflects a Bulldogs program adjusting to a new era of SEC scheduling, with a historic nine-game conference slate, a temporarily relocated Florida rivalry game, and a mix of challenging road trips and marquee home matchups at Sanford Stadium. With Kirby Smart already on record about the physical demands of the expanded schedule, how Georgia manages the workload across a full season could be just as important as any single game on the calendar heading into 2026.
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