TAMPA — South Carolina was predicted to finish eleventh with 956 points, and Auburn was predicted to finish twelfth with 936 points. Vanderbilt was predicted to finish thirteenth with 751 points, while Kentucky was predicted to finish fourteenth with 546 points. Mississippi State was predicted to finish fifteenth with 467 points, and Arkansas was predicted to finish sixteenth with 262 points.

Eight of the SEC's 16 teams received at least one vote to win the conference championship. In addition to Georgia, Texas, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Alabama, Oklahoma, LSU, and Kentucky received votes to win the SEC Championship.

Georgia has 12 players on the preseason All-SEC teams, with six players on offense and six on defense. Georgia center Drew Bobo, safety KJ Bolden, and cornerback Ellis Robinson earned first-team All-SEC honors. Georgia offensive guard Dontrell Glover earned second-team All-SEC honors, and Georgia defensive lineman Gabe Harris earned third-team All-SEC honors.

No Georgia special teams players earned All-SEC honors. Georgia kicker Peyton Woodring did not make an All-SEC team after making 17 of 19 field goal attempts in 2025. Georgia offensive guard Juan Gaston and linebacker Chris Cole did not make the All-SEC team.

Trinidad Chambliss of Ole Miss was voted first-team quarterback on the preseason All-SEC team. Arch Manning of Texas was voted second-team quarterback on the preseason All-SEC team.

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart stated that his team studied the Oklahoma City Thunder to find fresh ideas. "This season, like many others, we chose to study a successful brand or team or follow someone. This year, the reigning NBA champions at the time when we studied them was the OKC Thunder."

"It's very unique what the Thunder was doing, especially when they won the championship, in terms of leading. That's what we try to emulate," Smart said. Smart has a 117-21 record and two national championships in 2021 and 2022 in his ten seasons as Georgia head coach.

SEC Network college football expert Cole Cubelic predicted that Georgia will win the 2026 SEC Championship. "They (Georgia) will do it (win the SEC championship) again this year. They will be able to inflict harm on their opponents, physically, because how they're going to do it."

"They have a veteran quarterback that's a dual-threat," he said. "They have the best tight end room in college football. I think they have a couple of stars that are waiting to breakout on the defensive side."

SEC Network analyst Chris Doering stated that Texas has not beaten Georgia in the last two years they have played. "Everyone is talking Texas, but they haven't beaten them (Georgia) in the last two years that they've played them," Doering said. Alyssa Lang, Roman Harper, Chris Doering, and Cole Cubelic agree that the path to the SEC title runs through Georgia.

Georgia has been selected as the preseason favorite to win the SEC Championship in 10 of the last 15 seasons, according to SEC Media Days voting records. The media's preseason predicted champion has won the SEC title game only 10 times since 1992.

Smart has led the team to the SEC Championship game in seven of his 10 seasons, with five wins in those appearances. Georgia has won the SEC Championship 11 times since 1992, making it the most successful program in conference history in terms of titles. The SEC championship game is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 5 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

Texas reached the SEC title game in their first season as a conference member in 2024. Texas received the most champion votes prior to the 2025 season and missed the College Football Playoff. The SEC will use a nine-game conference schedule in 2026.