With all eyes on the Georgia Bulldogs going into the 2026 season, Kirby Smart’s team is once again in the spotlight after ESPN’s Bill Connelly dropped his predictions for the 2026 College Football Playoff bracket. Despite all the hype, there’s a sense of tension that suggests the road ahead won’t be as easy as it looks.

Despite “a few questions about the Dawgs’ offensive upside in 2026,” Bill Connelly believes Kirby Smart’s team will win the SEC championship for a third consecutive year. Connelly even maps Georgia’s postseason route, predicting a first-round bye, a No. 2 seed in the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff, and games against well-known opponents like Texas and Ohio State before a semifinal clash with Texas Tech.

And that makes sense when you look back at what Kirby Smart has built in Athens. He has an impressive 117-21 record and a winning percentage of .848. Smart is among the best in college football history heading into his 11th season.  Georgia has won six SEC East division titles, four SEC titles (2017, 2022, 2024, 2025), back-to-back CFP National Championships (2021, 2022), and has played in eight New Year’s Six bowls under him. Back in May 2024, he even got a ten-year, $130 million contract extension.

But here comes the heartbreaking part for the Bulldogs: Connelly expects a devastating national title loss to a loaded Notre Dame team. Still, Georgia returns with plenty of firepower for 2026. RB Nate Frazier and center Drew Bobo back Gunner Stockton’s offense, while Ellis Robinson, Raylen Wilson, KJ Bolden, and Gabe Harris return to the defense.

The SEC learned the hard way that Smart’s Bulldogs are tough to knock off. The Dawgs know well how to put teams away when it matters, as proven by their overwhelming victories and blocked punts that swing SEC title games. Georgia will once again set the standard in 2026, even with the looming heartbreak of the national title game.

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And Smart’s eye for talent is just as sharp off the field as his teams are on it.

Georgia’s 2026 class

Georgia’s 2026 recruiting class is sitting at No. 4 nationally with 31 total commits, including 16 ESPN 300 prospects. The Bulldogs signed 26 high school players during the early signing period in December. The class was headlined by five-star tight end Kaiden Prothro, the nation’s No. 4 tight end, who put up 66 career touchdowns and shattered Georgia high school records. 

But the class took a significant hit when five-star quarterback Jared Curtis, who had been committed to Georgia since May 2025, flipped to Vanderbilt just days before the early signing period. It left Kirby Smart without a quarterback in the 2026 class. That’s a loss that would typically derail a recruiting cycle. But Georgia responded by loading up on elite talent across every other position group. Four-star safety Justice Fitzpatrick, four-star defensive tackle Pierre Dean Jr., four-star wide receivers Brady Marchese and Ryan Mosley, and another elite tight end in Brayden Fogle to pair with Prothro. The depth at tight end and defensive line is particularly impressive.

Georgia has brought in nine scholarship players, including two four-star additions who rank among the top 40 transfers nationally. Wide receiver Isiah Canion from Georgia Tech and edge rusher Amaris Williams from Auburn are the crown jewels of this haul. The Bulldogs also addressed their secondary concerns by adding former Oklahoma cornerback Gentry Williams, Clemson safety Khalil Barnes, USC cornerback Braylon Conley, and East Carolina safety Ja’Marley Riddle, giving them four experienced defensive backs who can contribute immediately. So, Connely’s prediction that Georgia falls to Notre Dame for the natty might have its fair share of ups and downs.