‘They’ve Just Had His Number’ — CFB Analyst Reveals Georgia HC Kirby Smart’s Toughest Road Game in 2026 Season
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Kirby Smart’s Georgia enters the 2026 season as the favorite in the Southeastern Conference as he leads a roster stocked with elite talent, like quarterback Gunner Stockton. However, the Bulldogs face a demanding road schedule, with difficult matchups against Alabama and Ole Miss expected to test their championship aspirations.
Georgia Insider Names Toughest Road Test, But Alabama Still Haunts Kirby Smart
Georgia has plenty of reasons to be wary of Ole Miss after the Rebels ended the Bulldogs’ 2025 season with a 39-34 win in the Sugar Bowl. Even after Lane Kiffin departed just before the College Football Playoff, Pete Golding led Ole Miss to an incredible comeback, overcoming a 21-12 halftime deficit to eliminate Georgia.
Quarterback Trinidad Chambliss starred in that win, completing 30 of 46 passes for 362 yards and 2 touchdowns. Unless Smart can devise a better strategy this time around, Georgia could be headed for another difficult night when it visits Oxford on Nov. 7.
That concern is shared by much of Georgia’s fan base, and DawgsHQ’s Rusty Mansell also said he believes most Bulldogs fans see Ole Miss as the team’s toughest road test of the upcoming season.
“I would say if you set 100 UGA fans right here, I bet you 85 would say Ole Miss,” Mansell said in “That SEC Podcast.”
However, Mansell pointed out that he personally can’t get over the Alabama road trip.
“For whatever reason, I’m not over that Alabama point yet because of what they have done to Georgia, particularly under Kirby,” Mansell said. “You know what I mean? They’ve just had his number.
“He did have a very impressive win in the SEC Championship. It’s a bit like he goes to Tuscaloosa every year. They’re like, ‘Kirby, guess what? You’re going back to Tuscaloosa.’ He’s been like three times. I’m like, ‘My God.’ And they’ve been to Athens once. And then Ty Simpson lit him up. So, I would say until Kirby goes down and Georgia wins that game in Alabama, that momentum they’ve had would be over.”
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Smart owns just a 2-7 career record against Alabama, but he finally broke through with a 28-7 win over the Crimson Tide in last season’s SEC Championship Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. It marked Georgia’s most decisive win over Alabama since its 21-0 win on Oct. 2, 1976.
However, Georgia still has something to prove in Tuscaloosa. The Bulldogs will travel to Bryant-Denny Stadium on Oct. 10, where Smart has yet to win as Georgia’s head coach. The venue is one of only three SEC stadiums where he remains winless, and it’s also a place where the Bulldogs have not celebrated a victory since 2007. That history makes this year’s trip another big hurdle for Smart and his team.
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