On paper, this upcoming Georgia football schedule doesn’t seem as daunting as past iterations.

It’s been a talking point for months. That ESPN ranked Georgia’s strength of schedule as the weakest in the SEC for the upcoming season has only provided more fuel to the idea.

The Bulldogs still have games against 2025 College Football Playoff participants in Oklahoma, Alabama and Ole Miss. But Ole Miss is a major question mark with Pete Golding stepping in for Lane Kiffin, while Oklahoma and Alabama didn’t exactly have strong finishes to the season.

Georgia will likely be favored in every game this fall. That’s one of the benefits of not facing LSU, Texas or Texas A&M on the schedule. Georgia plays only four games this coming season outside the state of Georgia, as the Bulldogs benefit from this year’s Georgia-Florida game being played in Atlanta.

Yet that easy schedule doesn’t mean what it used to in the SEC. With the SEC adding a ninth conference game, the Bulldogs have swapped out a lesser program for another SEC foe that is at least somewhat closer to being on even footing.

Missouri, South Carolina and Auburn may not be College Football Playoff contenders this coming season, but they all have real talent on their rosters with Dylan Stewart, Ahmad Hardy and Byrum Brown.

Last year, Florida went 4-8. By record, they were a bad football team and thus one of the worst teams in the SEC.

Yet that team still had seven players taken in the 2026 NFL Draft. That’s one fewer than Georgia had and tied with College Football Playoff teams in Oklahoma and Oregon. That helps explain why Florida was able to play Georgia so tight.

Kirby Smart has long talked about the difficulty of winning week in and week out in the SEC. It’s why “humility is just a week away” is one of his favorite phrases.

Smart understands better than anyone in the league the cost and difficulty that comes with playing a ninth conference game. When you factor in the SEC championship game, the Bulldogs have played nine SEC games in each of the previous five seasons.

So when Smart speaks on the wear and tear that comes with playing nine conference games, he does know what he’s talking about.

“I mean, the coaches in our league are concerned about it, very concerned about it,” Smart said after beating Alabama in the SEC championship game. “I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t speak my piece and say it’s concerning … It was tough, physical out there tonight. They were wounded. We were wounded.”

Georgia won’t be the only team adapting to an extra conference game during the regular season, as it will be a league-wide talking point.

One of the reasons that Georgia’s schedule per the ESPN FPI isn’t as high as some of its contemporaries is because the Bulldogs can’t play themselves. Georgia is the No. 2-ranked SEC team in the ESPN FPI, sitting behind Texas.

The highest-ranked team in the ESPN FPI that Georgia plays is No. 8 Alabama. The Crimson Tide are the only top-10 team Georgia is set to face this coming season in ESPN’s FPI.

Georgia has the No. 20-ranked strength of schedule per ESPN’s FPI. That still ranks above fellow College Football Playoff hopefuls like Oregon (No. 26), Miami (No. 45) and Notre Dame (No. 56). Texas Tech has the No. 71 strength of schedule entering this upcoming season.

While Georgia’s slate may not be as difficult as that of Texas or Ole Miss, it is far from easy. Even when factoring in that ESPN’s FPI is likely overinflating the quality of the SEC.

Even with more difficult slates in 2024 and 2025, Georgia still found a way to get to the SEC championship game and the College Football Playoff. That consistency is a big reason the Bulldogs are expected to do so once again in 2026.

Georgia’s schedule may be easier on a spreadsheet this upcoming season. But the reality that comes with a ninth SEC game means the 2026 slate will be as difficult as ever. Even for a program with all the advantages that the Bulldogs possess.

“We’re lifting, we’re running, we’re practicing,” Smart said on prepping for a nine-game slate. “We’re practicing ones, twos, threes. We’re very, very fortunate to have the ability to practice like we do. I’m very blessed with my administration and the support staff of Josh Brooks to have the staff members we have. Not to mention the scholarship numbers we have.”