Georgia football has known three of their four non-conference opponents on their 2026 schedule for quite some time now, but Monday word came out who their fourth and final non-conference opponent would be.
Georgia to play Tennessee State for first time in 2026
According to The Tennessean, Georgia will play Tennessee State for the first time in program history during their 2026 season. The Tennessean is reporting this information was confirmed by Tennessee State Athletic Director Mikki Allen.
This game will be played at Sanford Stafium, but a date has not been announced yet. However, based on the rest of Georgia’s known 2026 schedule it will either be their season opener or their second to last game of the season.
Georgia’s three other non-conference opponents on their 2026 schedule are already known with scheduled dates for each game. The Bulldogs will play Western Kentucky at home on Sep. 12, travel to Louisville on Sep. 19 and host Georgia Tech for their season finale on Nov. 28. This means Georgia’s week one is still wide open for a spot that will either be filled by Tennessee State or an SEC opponent.
Georgia typically does not play an SEC opponent during week one, so Sep. 5 seems like the most likely date for this game. However, Georgia also usually has a non-conference opponent scheduled for their second to last game of the season before they play Georgia Tech in their regular season finale. So the Bulldogs will either play an SEC team later in the season than they normally do or will open with an SEC opponent week one.
The best outcome for Georgia is Tennessee State being the Bulldogs first game of the season, that way way they can ease into their 2026 season. But starting the season off with a bang against an SEC opponent would be an awesome way to begin a new season.