Why Georgia vs Ole Miss Could Be a Defining Game of the 2026 College Football Season

Why the Georgia Bulldogs' regular season matchup against the Ole Miss Rebels could be one of the most important college football games of the 2026 season.

The 2026 college football season is still months away, as teams across the country ramp up their offseason preparations in hopes of reaching the College Football Playoff and reaching the national championship.

But while the playoffs are the determining factor for the national championship, the regular season is what dictates which teams will reach the tournament. And this year's regular season slate has a plethora of games that will have massive impacts.

However, few games have the potential to be as impactful as the Georgia Bulldogs and Ole Miss Rebels regular season matchup. This year's contest will be between two programs who reached last year's College Football Playoff, and will likely heavily influence which teams compete for the SEC Championship and reach the College Football Playoff.

Georgia Bulldogs and Ole Miss Rebels' Recent History

Ole Miss wide receiver De'Zhaun Stribling (1) carries the ball during the Sugar Bowl and College Football Playoff quarterfinals at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, La., on Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. Ole Miss defeated Georgia 39-34. | Ayrton Breckenridge/Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Bulldogs and Rebels faced off twice during the 2025 season. Once in the regular season, and again during the College Football Playoff. Georgia earned a victory in the first matchup, erasing a two-score fourth quarter deficit en route to a thrilling 43-35 victory in Athens.

The game would go on to be the only loss for the Rebels during the regular season, and would ultimately be what prevented the team from competing in Atlanta for their first SEC conference title since 1963.

It would be the Rebels who got the last laugh however, as they would hand Georgia a shocking defeat during the Allstate Sugar Bowl in the College Football Playoff Quarterfinals. The loss would eliminate the end the Bulldogs' 2025 season and crush their hopes of a third national championship.

Now, the two teams are once again set to face off during the 2026 regular season, as the Bulldogs will travel to Oxford, Mississippi on November 7th. Kirby Smart has yet to win a contest in Vaught Hemingway Stadium in his career as the Bulldogs head coach.

While both programs will have plenty of other impactful games during the regular season, a win on November 7th would likely provide massive momentum moving forward for either program.

Given the massive implications of this year's matchup, Georgia and Ole Miss' regular season bout could be one of the most important college football games of the 2026 season and could send ripples throughout the entire sport.