Josh Pate Predicts SEC Championship Winner Ahead of 2026 Season

Josh Pate believes this SEC team is poised to win the conference championship in 2026.

Dec 6, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide wide receiver Germie Bernard (5) makes a catch as Georgia Bulldogs defensive back Kj Bolden (4) defends during the fourth quarter during the 2025 SEC Championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

In the years after Nick Saban's retirement from Alabama, Georgia and Texas have been the most popular selections to win the SEC among the league's media and coaches.

The Bulldogs were the projected winners of the SEC in the league's media poll in both 2024 and 2026, while the Longhorns sat in second place. The 2025 media poll projected Texas to win while slotting Georgia in the No. 2 spot.

The on-field results between the two have been one-sided. Georgia comfortably defeated Texas in each of the two regular-season matchups, and it eked out an overtime victory in the 2024 SEC Championship with second-string quarterback Gunner Stockton starting in the second half.

These results are a major influence on college football personality Josh Pate's projection for the SEC's winner this fall.

"Why overthink the room? This is Georgia's league, this has been Georgia's league, and even though Texas has had multiple at them, it's remained Georgia's league," Pate said. "Every single time there's this giant dust cloud during the week of folks hyping them (Texas) up. I've fallen victim to this, I've picked Texas at least once or twice over Georgia, not three times though."

How is the SEC 'Georgia's league?'

The Bulldogs have been a constant presence in the SEC championship during Kirby Smart's 11-year tenure.

Georgia failed to reach the SEC championship in just two of Smart's previous 10 seasons on the job. The Bulldogs missed the conference championship in 2016, Smart's first year at Georgia, and in 2020.

None of the SEC's current head coaches have defeated Georgia for the conference championship. Nick Saban handed Kirby Smart three of his four SEC championship losses over the course of his final six seasons, and the other loss was to LSU in 2019.

What stands in Georgia's path to a third consecutive SEC title?

Jan 1, 2026; New Orleans, LA, USA; Mississippi Rebels quarterback Trinidad Chambliss (6) passes the ball against the Georgia Bulldogs during the 2026 Sugar Bowl and quarterfinal game of the College Football Playoff at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

A trip to Alabama is the obvious challenge on Georgia's 2026 schedule. The Bulldogs were triumphant in their last meeting with the Crimson Tide, but regardless of whether Saban or DeBoer is on the sideline, the only wins for the Bulldogs under Smart are in postseason rematches.

The trip to Ole Miss warrants more attention in the wake of its College Football Playoff run, but it has been a stumbling block for Georgia throughout Smart's tenure. The Bulldogs are now 2-3 against the Rebels under Smart, and the losses are to three different head coaches.

The other 2026 College Football Playoff participant on Georgia's schedule is Oklahoma. The Sept. 26 bout in Sanford Stadium will be the first meeting since the famous 2018 Rose Bowl duel, and the retention across both rosters should make for an intriguing early-season matchup.