The first week of the college football season is in the books and it saw the SEC go a perfect 16-0. This included a dominant 63-3 victory for Georgia over Tennessee State.
Georgia learned a lot about themselves during this game, but potentially more importantly they got their first chance to learn something about every team in the SEC. Each team in the SEC showed a few bright spots during the first week of the season, so Georgia will have to take some mental notes just in case they need to use them later in a future matchup.
Alabama will challenge Georgia's defense with their run game
No one at Georgia needs to be told how much of a threat Alabama is. They have lost to the Tide many times in Kirby Smart's tenure and they could lose to Alabama again this season. Potentially the biggest challenge that stands in Georgia's way when they eventually play Alabama is their run game.
Alabama is breaking in a new starting quarterback, so they may rely on the run game more than normal. During their 48-10 win over East Carolina they totaled 227 rush yards with all five of their offensive touchdowns coming on the ground.
Alabama is still a capable team through the air, but Georgia's rush defense will be challenged when they face the Tide later this season.
Arkansas may not be a challenge for Georgia in Week 3
Arkansas is Georgia's first SEC opponent this season. The Bulldogs will play at Arkansas in week three which will mark their toughest game at that point in the season. This matchup however may not be that much of a challenge though.
Arkansas only beat North Alabama 31-14 in their season opener. That is not even close to a blowout like many other teams in the SEC had this past weekend, so this shows that Arkansas could be one of the worst teams in the conference again this season.
Arkansas already complained about playing Georgia because the SEC gave them an 11 am local start time. That could play into Georgia's hands, but at the end of the day UGA would probably win this game by a large margin under any circumstance.
Auburn won a game they normally would've lost in the past
Auburn had one of the best wins of the opening weekend in the SEC simply because they were one of three schools who played a Power Four team. They took down Baylor 17-16 which isn't overly impressive, but considering this was a game they typically lost the past few years this shows that they may be improved this year.
Georgia gets to play Auburn at home this season, so that should help them avoid an upset. Auburn has handed their opponents so many victories over the past few years due to their own mistakes though, but that may not happen anymore this year. So Georgia will have to be prepared to earn everything against Auburn this season.
Florida's offense could be one of the best in the country
Aaron Murray called Florida's 66-21 victory over FAU on Saturday. After the game he was left thinking that Florida could have one of the best offenses in the country.
Any offense that scores 66 points in any game is likely a solid unit, but we do have to keep in mind the level of competition they played. New quarterback Aaron Philo looked the part though and running back Jadan Baugh found the end zone three times while racking up 160 rushing yards.
Their defense has some serious questions to face after allowing FAU to score 21 points, but Florida's offense could seriously challenge Georgia later this season.
Kentucky QB Kenny Minchey could be the real deal
Georgia doesn't play Kentucky this season and it's unlikely they meet in the SEC Championship game, but if they do it will be because their quarterback Kenny Minchey had a special year.
He began his 2026 season on a high note by throwing for 301 yards and four touchdowns in their 45-13 win over Youngstown State. Kentucky didn't do anything as a whole to prove they are a legit threat to win the SEC, but they could spoil a few team's seasons this year. That won't be happening to Georgia since they don't play, but he could be a fun player to watch.
LSU looks like the total package
LSU looks like the real deal this season. They had the best win in the SEC this week by far after beating Clemson 51-10, and they confirmed that they look like a serious threat to win the SEC and compete for a national championship.
Clemson is nothing like the Clemson of old, but they are still a respectable Power Four program. They however never stood a chance as the LSU offense moved the ball with ease and their defense was dominant all night long.
This win was even more impressive though because they did it while Lane Kiffin had them wrapped up in all the NFL players coming back to college drama. Who knows how far this team will go this season, but they are one of the most likely opponents for Georgia in the SEC Championship game if the Bulldogs make it there.
Mississippi State may finally have a legit quarterback
Mississippi State is in a similar position as Kentucky in that they are a team Georgia probably won't play this year unless they make a miracle run to the SEC Championship game. They also had a stellar performance from their quarterback Khamrio Taylor just like Kentucky got from their QB.
Taylor threw for 354 yards and four touchdowns in a 62-13 victory over UL-Monroe. He even found the end zone once on the ground as well to go along with 59 rushing yards.
Who knows if he will keep this up once they face better competition, but he could be fun to watch this season as well and could maybe pull off an upset too.
Missouri QB Austin Simmons could challenge Georgia's defense in Athens
Missouri barely squeaked into the top 25 to start the season, but they still didn't seem like much of a threat to Georgia. Their 54-14 victory over Arkansas Pine Bluff won't intimidate Georgia either, but quarterback Austin Simmons could be a problem.
He completed 17 of 19 passes for 252 yards and four touchdowns this weekend. He could easily be one of the best quarterbacks in the SEC this season, but it's unclear if he has the talent around him to beat the best teams in the league like Georgia.
Missouri will get their shot at Georgia in Athens later this season, but if Georgia can contain Simmons then they won't stand much of a chance at leaving Athens with a win.
Oklahoma's defense could be Gunner Stockton's biggest test
Oklahoma is Georgia's first true test of the season. The Sooners come to Athens in week four and will bring what many expect to be one of the best defenses in the country with them.
Their defense lived up to the hype in week one as they held UTEP scoreless while putting up 51 points of their own.
Oklahoma will be a significant challenge for Gunner Stockton and the Georgia offense, but if they can pass this test then there won't be any reason for Stockton and the offense to be scared of any other defense the rest of the season.
Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss is still a problem
Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss destroyed Georgia twice last season and he was the biggest reason for the Bulldogs' loss in the playoff to the Rebels. He is back for another year and opened the 2026 season by knocking off No. 24 Louisville 41-38 behind 336 passing yards and three touchdowns.
He did make a mistake by throwing one interception, but he more than showed that he is just as great of a player as he was last year.
Georgia unfortunately has the luxury of playing at Ole Miss this season which could be their greatest chance for a loss in the regular season. Ole Miss could also be waiting for Georgia in the SEC Championship game or playoff as well.
No Georgia fan needs to be told how scary Chambliss is, and he unfortunately is already showing this season that he is a major threat to Georgia.
South Carolina is still a potential upset for Georgia
South Carolina has been tabbed by some analysts to be the best chance for an upset loss for Georgia this year. Through the first week of the season that seems like a solid prediction because they just beat Kent State 57-0.
Just like with many of the other week one games in the SEC this result needs to be taken with a grain of salt because of the level of competition they played, but the Gamecocks deserve credit for doing what they were supposed to do to a team like Kent State.
South Carolins is Georgia's final SEC game this season, so by then we will know a lot more about them and Georgia. They however so far are looking the part of a potential upset for Georgia.
Tennessee WR Mike Matthews could be one of the best deep threats in the SEC
Tennessee isn't on Georgia's schedule this season which is a shame because of how often UGA beats them, but the Vols on paper are talented enough to beat Georgia. One of the biggest reasons why is because of wide receiver Mike Matthews.
Matthews only caught four passes in their week one win, but he turned those receptions into 132 yards and two touchdowns. He is a deep threat that would be dangerous even to an elite secondary like Georgia, but Georgia won't have to worry about facing him right now.
Georgia could face Tennessee in the SEC Championship game this season, but at this point it still seems unlikely that the Vols will get there.
Texas A&M may finally be built to make the SEC Championship game
Texas A&M joined the SEC in 2012 but they still haven't made the conference championship game. Last year they were one win away from getting to Atlanta, but a loss to Texas in their season finale kept them out.
Some analysts think Texas A&M could get there this season, and after beating Missouri State 50-0 it's easy to see why.
It will be interesting to see how the look against better competition, but the Aggies are one of the most likly opponents for Georgia in the SEC Championship game as of now, assuming Georgia gets there.
Texas WR Ryan Wingo could be a problem for SEC secondaries
Georgia and Texas don't play during the regular season this year, but it wouldn't be surprising if they met in the SEC Championship game or in the College Football Playoff. The Longhorns have talent all over the field, but one player who shined brightest in their week one win was wide receiver Ryan Wingo who popped off for 121 yards and one touchdown on seven receptions.
Texas would be able to beat Georgia in multiple ways if they do play later this year, but Wingo is the receiver Georgia's secondary would have to watch the closest. Texas has to survive a difficult schedule this season that includes No. 1 Ohio State this week, and if they face Georgia at some point this season they would definitely have earned it.
Vanderbilt may have made the wrong choice not starting Jared Curtis
Vanderbilt made the somewhat shocking decision to bench former Georgia quarterback commit Jared Curtis in favor of Blaze Berlowitz. The Commodores might be regretting that decision after only beating Austin Peay 28-9 week one.
Berlowitz failed to find the end zone with his arm and the Vanderbilt offense as whole only scored two touchdowns. Jared Curtis did get some time in this game and he looked fairly strong as he completed seven of nine passes for 60 yards.
Georgia hosts Vandebilt in a few weeks and it's a bit disappointing that Curtis most likely won't be their starting quarterback. After the somewhat disappointing result in their first game though maybe there's a chance Vanderbilt will hand the keys to Curtis before they play Georgia.
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