Heather Dinich is one of the loudest voices in college football, especially when it comes to the College Football Playoff.

And if the Bulldogs are to make it back for the fifth time in six seasons, Dinich says Georgia will need to be a strong road team in 2026.

Three of Georgia’s final five games come away from Sanford Stadium. That stretch of schedule coincides with a push for the College Football Playoff.

“If Georgia is going to finish strong, it’s going to have to do it mostly away from Athens,” Dinich said. “Three of the last five games are elsewhere, including the rivalry game against Florida, which will be held in Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta this year.”

In addition to the Florida game, Georgia travels to Arkansas, Alabama, Ole Miss and South Carolina.

When Georgia last visited Alabama and Ole Miss in 2024, the Bulldogs dropped both games. Alabama and Ole Miss were also able to beat Georgia last season, with the Crimson Tide winning in Athens and Ole Miss ending Georgia’s season in the College Football Playoff.

Dinich does still believe Georgia is a strong bet to make the College Football Playoff this season, as the Bulldogs have a 63.9% chance to make the College Football Playoff.

Kirby Smart and Georgia know that simply making the College Football Playoff is not good enough. The goal is to win a national championship this season, which ESPN gives Georgia a 9.6% chance of doing. Only Ohio State, Notre Dame and Texas have a better chance to do so per ESPN’s ratings.

“I like to look back and say, OK, what did with do well in those games and what did we do poorly and how do we improve on it? That’s no differently than I do week five, week six, week seven,” Smart said at SEC Media Days. “So I would love to see — and I don’t make this an excuse — but I would love to see the flow of the season go like a football, a week to week, maybe a bye week in there, but a continuous thing. No sport that I know of shuts down for 25 to 30 days between performances.

“We have not had our best performances when we needed them most, and I don’t want to blame it on that.”

Georgia’s first road game of the season comes on Sept. 19, when it visits Arkansas. Georgia starts the season on Sept. 5, when the Bulldogs face Tennessee State.

Fall practice for Georgia starts on Wednesday.