Preseason SEC Media rankings show how easy Georgia actually has it this season

A few weeks ago ESPN made a crazy announcement. Using their Football Power Index ratings heading into the 2026 season, they determined that Georgia had the easiest schedule this season out of all 16 teams in the SEC.

This was a bit strange and a little hard to believe because Georgia is used to having one of the most difficult schedules in the country every year. But after looking at the media's preseason poll that was just released on Friday it makes sense why the Bulldogs have the easiest schedule in the conference.

Only three of Georgia's nine conference games are against teams predicted to finish in the top half of the SEC standings. That means that a whopping six of the Bulldogs nine conference opponents are believed to be bottom half teams in the SEC this season.

Georgia's "easy" schedule still can't be overlooked

While Georgia may have the "easiest" schedule in the conference, easy isn't a word anyone should be using to describe it. Look no further than the ESPN schedule rankings which still has Georgia's schedule as the 20th most difficult in the country.

The most difficult part of Georgia's schedule is a daunting four game stretch that begins with a road game at Alabama and ends with another road game at Ole Miss. Those will undoubtedly be their two most difficult game that could end in a loss for Georgia. Between those two games are rivalry matchups against Auburn and Florida which will be equally as challenging as well.

But the reason Georgia's schedule isn't actually easy is because of how strong the conference is. The middle of the SEC is much stronger than the middle teams in any other conference. The bottom feeders in the SEC are also much strong than the worst teams in other conferences too as they are able to pull off an upset on any given week against any team in the league.

Sure it is nice that Georgia has the easiest schedule in the country this season, but it is far from actually being easy.

SEC Media, Vegas were right to make Georgia the favorites in the SEC

This past week was SEC Media Days. The conclusion of this event meant it was time for the media to make their pick for who they think will win the SEC, and in the above rankings it was Georgia who was voted to finish on top of the conference again this season.

This forced Vegas to change their odds as well as oddsmakers now favor Georgia over Texas in the SEC for the first time all offseason.

A big reason for this might be because of Georgia's easier schedule. This gives them a great chance to get back to Atlanta to play in the SEC Championship game while Texas could struggle just to make it there. The Longhorns have to play Tennessee, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, LSU and Texas A&M this season on top of a week two tilt against Ohio State. It doesn't get much harder than that, so who knows if the Longhorns will even make it to Atlanta.

Georgia however still has to go out and win the games on their schedule. It will not be easy for them, but they clearly have as good of a chance as anyone to be crowned SEC Champions again this season.

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