Georgia football cancels four future games against ACC opponents

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The Georgia Bulldogs have canceled their game against the Louisville Cardinals for the 2026 college football season, which means the Bulldogs’ 2026 schedule is set. Before canceling the Louisville game, which was a mutual decision, Georgia had 13 opponents for the 2026 season, so the move solves a problem for Georgia.

The Bulldogs will play a nine-game SEC slate in 2026, Georgia Tech, Tennessee State and Western Kentucky. Georgia’s 10 regular season games against Power Four opponents is the same amount as Georgia played in 2024, 2022 and 2021. The SEC’s move from an eight-game to a nine-game conference schedule forced Georgia to cancel one nonconference game next season.

Georgia canceled the 2027 game against Louisville, which was expected to be the second game of the home-and-home series. Georgia and Louisville are both looking to schedule a neutral site game in the future. The Bulldogs also canceled a 2033-34 home-and-home series with the NC State Wolfpack.

This season, Georgia won the SEC championship in what was effectively Georgia and Alabama’s ninth SEC game of the season. Georgia and Alabama combined to have over 14 players out for the SEC championship, which drew the concern of Georgia coach Kirby Smart.

“That was the ninth game of our SEC schedule,” Smart said. “Just imagine that was the ninth game of the season for everybody in the SEC. Everybody played another SEC game.”

Injuries are an obvious factor. Teams tend to get more injuries to key players in more competitive games. Another factor is losses. The College Football Playoff selection process looks at losses more heavily than anything else. Just ask Texas this year.

“That’s eight more losses, right?” Smart continued. “16 teams. Eight more losses in our league. So one team, two teams. Let’s say this last weekend was Oklahoma and Ole Miss, whoever hadn’t played yet. They played and they got losses. Then they’re going to go to the SEC championship and play another game.”

More conference games means SEC teams, like Georgia, will be cancelling nonconference series against Power Four opponents. Georgia already plays Georgia Tech every year, so the Bulldogs don’t want to be at a scheduling disadvantage and have to play against 11 Power Four opponents, like they would have had to do if they did no cancel with Louisville.

“Those two teams were beat up tonight,” Smart said after the SEC championship. “That was the ninth game of the year. We’re looking at next year having another game.

“The coaches in our league are concerned about it, very concerned about it. I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t speak my piece and say it’s concerning.”

The transfer portal and name, image and likeness have also made it tougher for elite teams to accumulate the sort of depth they had in previous seasons. Beat up teams facing each other won’t be anything new in the SEC.

“It was tough, physical out there tonight,” Smart said. “They were wounded. We were wounded.”

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This article originally appeared on UGA Wire: UGA football cancels future series against two ACC programs

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