The Georgia Bulldogs are just a little over a month from kicking off their 2026 season where they will try to figure out a way to get back on top of the sport following crushing endings to each of the last three seasons.
Most consider the Bulldogs close to a lock to make the 12-team College Football Playoff field, but they are going to have to earn it in the regular season by getting it done in the toughest conference in college football.
This year’s schedule for Georgia compared to what some of their rivals are facing is relatively tame, but there are still a number of challenges the team will face. One of them is a unique one when the Vanderbilt Commodores come to town likely with a starting QB who spurned the Bulldogs to head to Nashville instead.
In years past, it would be easy to overlook the Commodores as an easy victory and a game that a team like Georgia does not need to be worried about, but that is no longer the case after the last two years.
While Diego Pavia may be gone, Curtis enters and gives Vanderbilt arguably the most talented recruit they have had in program history. He has not been named the team’s starter yet, though it is widely expected that Curtis is going to win the job and be an extremely rare true freshman starting quarterback in the SEC.
For Curtis, it’s back-to-back tough environments with the Commodores facing Auburn on the road the week prior, but this game is going to be personal for Kirby Smart even if he won’t admit it.
Curtis became the second high profile quarterback recruit to flip from Georgia in recent memory, and this time, he went to a conference rival. The Bulldogs are going to be out to prove to Curtis why he was wrong in choosing Vanderbilt and that the standard in college football is Georgia.
The Commodores should take a step back and experience some growing pains early in the season, and the Bulldogs need to exploit that early and make Curtis uncomfortable in the pocket.
Assuming that Curtis is indeed the starter for Vanderbilt, this game has a whole lot more juice than it would have when looking at it a year ago. It should be a great day in Athens when Curtis and the Commodores arrive to Sanford Stadium on October 3.
