ESPN FPI Ranks Georgia Football No. 5 for 2026

ESPN FPI Ranks Georgia Football No. 5 Heading Into 2026

Georgia enters the 2026 season a shade behind where it started a year ago, at least according to ESPN’s numbers.

ESPN’s preseason Football Power Index has the Bulldogs at No. 5 nationally with a rating of 24.8, down from the No. 2 slot and 26.6 rating they carried into last season. Ohio State tops the list at No. 1 with a 28.7 rating.

FPI measures how many points better or worse than an average FBS team a squad is expected to be, then runs tens of thousands of season simulations — schedule, conference title games, and a CFP selection model included — to project outcomes for the rest of the year. The ratings update daily as results come in.

Georgia’s preseason FPI ranking has bounced around in recent years: No. 2 in 2025, No. 1 for the first time in 2024, No. 3 in both 2023 and 2022, No. 7 in 2021, No. 10 in 2020, and No. 3 in both 2019 and 2018.

Part of the dip traces back to schedule strength — or the lack of it. Georgia’s 2026 slate ranks 20th nationally in strength of schedule, the softest in the SEC. The Bulldogs host FPI’s No. 12, No. 21, No. 22, and No. 29 teams, travel to face No. 8, No. 14, and No. 23, and meet No. 18 in Jacksonville. FPI projects a 9.9-win season, trailing Texas Tech, Notre Dame, Miami, Ohio State, Oregon, and Indiana.

That schedule gap shows up across the top of the rankings. Texas, No. 2 in FPI, plays the No. 3 toughest schedule in the country. Ohio State (No. 1 FPI) sits at No. 8, LSU (No. 9 FPI) at No. 11, and Alabama (No. 8 FPI) at No. 15. On the other end, Notre Dame (No. 3 FPI) faces the No. 56 schedule, Oregon (No. 4) the No. 26, Indiana (No. 5) the No. 33, Miami (No. 6) the No. 45, and Texas Tech (No. 10) the No. 71.

FPI gives Georgia a 22.9% chance to win the SEC, behind only Texas at 29.7%. The Bulldogs’ CFP odds sit at 63.7% — fifth-best nationally, behind Ohio State, Notre Dame, Texas, and Oregon. Georgia’s shot at reaching the national title game is 17.3% (with Notre Dame now projected to leapfrog Texas for the second-best odds), and a 9% chance to win it all.

For context, this same model gave Georgia a 78.6% chance to make last year’s playoff, a 30% shot at the title game, and 17.9% odds to win the championship.