Georgia football predicted to be dethroned in SEC championship

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The Georgia Bulldogs are expected among the nation's top teams and are looking to win a third consecutive SEC championship in 2026. CBS Sports analyst Brad Crawford predicts that Georgia will go 11-1 and finish SEC play with a record of 8-1. The 2026 season marks the first time SEC teams will play nine conference games during the regular season.

Crawford has Georgia suffering a surprising loss to the South Carolina Gamecocks, who he describes as an unpredictable team. South Carolina has plenty of talent and Georgia has to face the Gamecocks on the road, but it would be a bit of a shocker to see South Carolina upset Georgia especially after the Gamecocks went 4-8 in 2025 with only two wins over Power Four opponents.

Georgia last lost to South Carolina in 2019. The Gamecocks have the pieces to make some noise in the SEC and Crawford thinks South Carolina will do just that. He predicts South Carolina will go 7-5 (4-5 in SEC) and earn a trip to the Texas Bowl. Crawford predicts South Carolina will pick up notable wins over Tennessee, Clemson and Georgia.

Losing to South Carolina would not be the end of the world for Georgia, but it would be shocking to see Georgia start the season 10-0 before falling to South Carolina. The Bulldogs still advance to play the Texas Longhorns in the SEC championship in Crawford's predictions.

Crawford has Georgia earning impressive wins over Ole Miss, Alabama and Oklahoma, which would go a long way for Georgia's College Football Playoff and SEC championship positioning. Speaking of the conference title game, Crawford has the Longhorns and quarterback Arch Manning finally beating Georgia in the SEC championship to secure a bye as the No. 2 seed in the playoff. Georgia is predicted to receive the No. 5 seed in the playoff, which would result in Georgia likely playing the top-ranked Group of Five conference champion.

We think Georgia's schedule sets up well for the Bulldogs to return to both the SEC championship and the playoff. However, playing in the SEC championship game may not be that beneficial for making a playoff run as Georgia learned in 2025.

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This article originally appeared on UGA Wire: Georgia football predicted to be dethroned in SEC championship

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