National Title Contender Left Out of Top 5 in Post-Spring College Football Rankings

Stewart Mandel's post-spring top 25 drops this SEC power to No. 6, a surprising fall for the two-time reigning conference champions.

One of the nation's top defensive backs will look to redeem his team's fast exit from last year's College Football Playoff. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The two-time reigning SEC champions just got bumped outside the top five, and the analyst who did it certainly isn't apologizing for it.

The Athletic's Stewart Mandel released his post-spring college football top 25 on Monday, slotting Georgia at No. 6 behind Indiana, Oregon, Ohio State, Miami and Notre Dame. It marked the first time in recent memory that no SEC team cracked the top five of a major preseason ranking.

Mandel acknowledged the unusual outcome himself, noting that he did not anticipate his highest-ranked SEC team landing at No. 6 or that the conference would have six teams in the top 13 while still being locked out of the top five entirely.

Georgia's path and what's working in its favor entering 2026

Quarterback Gunner Stockton, running back Nate Frazier, receiver London Humphreys and tight end Lawson Luckie headline the returning offensive playmakers, while linebacker Raylen Wilson and safety KJ Bolden anchor a defense that could put two first-round picks on the board next spring.

Stockton completed 69.7% of his passes for 2,894 yards, 24 touchdowns and five interceptions in 2025 while adding 462 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground. Those are numbers that generally don't land a quarterback outside any credible top 10.

Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton (14) will look to improve upon his 2025 campaign, which saw the Bulldogs lose to Ole Miss in the College Football Playoff Quarterfinal. | Amber Searls-Imagn Images

Former Georgia receiver Dillon Bell captured the optimism around Stockton entering Year 3: "You know, we were close to going to the national championship and I feel like with another year under his belt and the more confidence, that's a scary Gunner."

What may work best in the Bulldogs' favor is their 2026 SEC schedule. They will face Arkansas, Alabama, Ole Miss and South Carolina on the road. At home, Georgia will play Oklahoma, Vanderbilt, Auburn and Missouri. Add Florida at a neutral site (Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA), with no matchups against Texas, Texas A&M, LSU or Tennessee, Georgia avoids many of the best programs in the Southeastern Conference.

Why Georgia's Sugar Bowl loss still matters

Mandel said dropping Georgia to No. 6 has little to do with the Bulldogs themselves and everything to do with how strong the rest of the field looks. He put it plainly: "Dropping the Bulldogs this far has little to do with them. There are too many good-looking teams."

But his explanation carried a specific caveat. "I'm haunted by the memory of Trinidad Chambliss eluding Georgia's pass rush over and over again," Mandel wrote, a direct reference to the CFP quarterfinal loss to Ole Miss that ended Georgia's season in January.

That wound didn't fully close during the spring. Transfer defensive end Amaris Williams went down with a knee injury late in spring practice, casting real doubt on Georgia's ability to shore up a pass rush that was quietly struggling in 2025. Wide receiver depth is the other outstanding question, with transfer Isiah Canion nursing an ankle injury and the room largely unproven.

Georgia cornerback Ellis Robinson IV (1) will serve as one of the leaders on defense for the Bulldogs in 2026. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

CBS Sports recently dropped Kirby Smart from the No. 1 spot in its annual coach rankings, citing the fact that the Bulldogs have not won a College Football Playoff game since claiming the national title in 2022. That trend line, more than any individual spring depth-chart concern, is the quiet undercurrent of skepticism following Georgia into 2026.

Continuity remains one of Georgia's most underrated advantages, and the Bulldogs are projected as favorites in every game on their schedule. For a program that has won 36 games over the past three seasons, the floor is extraordinarily high.

Georgia, ranked No. 3 in my post-spring college football rankings, opens its season against Tennessee State at home on Sept. 5 at 3 p.m. ET on SECN+.