ESPN’s Football Power Index believes Georgia will be one of the top teams in the country at the start of the 2026 season.

In the initial FPI rankings, Georgia slots in as the No. 5 team in the country. Ahead of the Bulldogs are Ohio State at No. 1, Texas at No. 2, Notre Dame at No. 3 and Oregon at No. 4.

“The Football Power Index (FPI) is a measure of team strength that is meant to be the best predictor of a team’s performance going forward for the rest of the season,” ESPN says in an explanation of the metric. “FPI represents how many points above or below average a team is. Projected results are based on 20,000 simulations of the rest of the season using FPI, results to date, and the remaining schedule. Ratings and projections update daily. FPI data from seasons prior to 2019 may not be complete.”

The ESPN FPI doesn’t just give Georgia a top-5 ranking, but it also provides further projections on what Georgia might accomplish this season. The FPI gives Georgia a 22.9% chance to win the SEC, a 63.7% chance to make the College Football Playoff, a 17.3% chance to make the national championship and a 9% chance to win the national championship.

Georgia is coming off a season where it went 12-2. The Bulldogs have won the SEC championship in each of the previous two seasons. Georgia has made the College Football Playoff in four of the last five seasons. The Bulldogs are the only team in the sport that can say that.

Still, simply making the College Football Playoff won’t be enough this coming season. Georgia coach Kirby Smart knows there is pressure to go on a deep run in the College Football Playoff.

For all the success over the past two seasons, Georgia coach Kirby Smart understands that the expectation is national championships at a school like Georgia.

“Apparently all we can do is win the SEC championship right now, so that’s not good enough,” Smart said in an interview with Paul Finebaum back in April.

Georgia does bring back plenty of contributors from last season, led by quarterback Gunner Stockton and safety KJ Bolden. The Bulldogs return 14 starters from last season and rank in the top 10 in terms of returning snaps.

That experience will help, along with a softer schedule. Per ESPN’s strength of schedule metrics, Georgia ranks 20th in the country in that metric. Among SEC teams, that is the lowest of the 16 teams in the league.

Yet Georgia still has games against No. 8 Alabama, No. 12 Oklahoma and No. 14 Ole Miss.

Georgia opens the season against Tennessee State on Sept. 5. The game is set for a 3 p.m. ET start.