It just means more….conference games. That was the news on Thursday night from the Southeastern Conference. The SEC will be adding a ninth conference game in 2026. Three of those games will be locked in as “rivalry” games for the SEC. Who will be considered Georgia’s rival in 2026 and beyond? Well, Sankey and the league haven’t said yet, but they did leave a few bread crumbs. Ross Dellenger reported on Friday that the SEC has three criteria for selecting each team’s rival.
- Geography
- Rivalries
- Balance
Who will be Georgia’s Rivals in 2026 and Beyond?
Long Live the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry
Opponent: Auburn Tigers
Series Record: Georgia leads the series 65-56-8; the Dawgs are on an eight-game winning streak.
Geography ✅
Rivalries ✅
Balance ✅
Lock it in. Even with the Miracle at Jordan-Hare, we can’t say now. It’s tradition!
Let the Cocktail Party Continue
Opponent: Florida Gators
Series Record: Georgia leads the series 56-44-2; the Dawgs have won the last four matchups.
Geography ✅
Rivalries ✅
Balance ✅
Three Likely Candidates for the Third Spot
Tennessee Volunteers
Series Record: Georgia leads the series 29-23-2; the Dawgs have won the last eight games.
Geography ✅
Rivalries ✅
Balance ✅
This surely wouldn’t be on Josh Heupel’s secret ballot. Tennessee beat Georgia on a crazy Hail Mary play in 2016. Since then, it has been ugly for the Vols. The Dawgs’ average margin of victory in that span: 22.8 ppg. The Vols make a lot of sense otherwise.
Kentucky Wildcats
Series Record: Georgia leads the series 64-12-2; Georgia has 15 reasons to hope the SEC picks someone else.
Geography ✅
Rivalries ❌
Balance ✅
Kentucky keeps popping up as a likely third opponent. All we have to say is “that’s a hard pass.” Thanks, David.
South Carolina Gamecocks
Series Record: Georgia leads the series 55-19-2; the Dawgs have swarmed the Gamecocks in each of the last four meetings.
Geography ✅
Rivalries ❌
Balance ✅
Little brother. Our Columbia friends may not like the sentiment, but if the shoe fits. This makes a lot of sense geographically, even if the scoreboard is rather lopsided.
Three Out-of-the-Box Candidates for the Third Spot
Ole Miss Rebels
Series Record: Georgia leads the series 33-14-1; the Rebels topped the Dawgs in Oxford last year.
Geography ❌
Rivalries ❌
Balance ✅
Can we have an asterisk that this should be a rivalry only as long as Lane Kiffin is the head coach in Oxford? Speaking of Oxford, what Georgia fan wouldn’t want to hit up The Grove and City Grocery every other year?
Alabama Crimson Tide
Series Record: Alabama leads the series 44-26-4; the Tide have won the last two matchups.
Geography ✅
Rivalries ✅
Balance ❌
Cue the Michael Scott meme about being ready to be hurt again. Alabama has been a thorn in Kirby Smart and Georgia’s side. That is why the 2021 National Championship game was so sweet. But let’s face it, the game pits two of the top SEC programs against each other. It feeds the ire of both fan bases and also gives the television ratings folks plenty to grin about.
Texas Longhorns
Series Record: Texas leads the series 4-3; Georgia won both SEC matchups last year against the Longhorns.
Geography ❌
Rivalries ❌
Balance ❌
Save Room for Some Clean Old Fashioned Hate
Opponent: North Avenue Trade School (aka Georgia Tech)
Series Record: Georgia leads the series 72-41-5; the Dawgs have won the last seven in a row.
