Once again, I say good morning Refugees, Georgia Bulldogs opening day of the 2026 season is here. We’ve looked through 99 poorly referenced football cards and wished our lives away through the summer. Well, now it’s time to slow it down and savor it. This has the possibility of being a special season, some bounces gonna have to go our way and we need to pray for healthy players. This season has a good buzz to start, the team needs to improve through the season and be prepared and healthy for the playoff run, I think by season’s midpoint, we’ll know if we have the goods. What’s on tap today:
Georgia vs Tennessee State — Saturday, September 5, 2026
- Kickoff: 3:00 p.m. ET
- Location: Dooley Field at Sanford Stadium, Athens, GA
- Stadium capacity: ~93,033
- Series: First meeting
- Rankings: Georgia No. 3; Tennessee State unranked
- Records entering game: Georgia 0-0; Tennessee State 0-1
TV / Streaming
- Network: SEC Network+ (SECN+ / ESPN+)
- Announcers: Clay Matvick (play-by-play), Rocky Boiman (analyst), Laura Stickells (sideline)
- Rebroadcast: SECN, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 12:30–3:00 p.m. ET
Radio
- Network: Georgia Bulldogs Sports Network
- Announcers: Jeff Dantzler (play-by-play), Jon Stinchcomb (analyst), D.J. Shockley (sideline)
- Flagship/affiliates: 95.5 FM WSB (Atlanta), 106.1 FM WNGC and 960 AM WRFC (Athens), plus statewide affiliates
- Audio stream: georgiadogs.com
- Satellite: SiriusXM 180 or 230 (and the app)
Gameday timing
- Pregame broadcast: ~11:00 a.m.
- Dawg Walk: ~12:45 p.m.
- Gates open: 1:00 p.m.
- Weather: Hot (mid-to-upper 90s, heat index ~100+), chance of thunderstorms
Some media to while away the time until kickoff:
2026 Fan Guide from georgiadogs.com:
Your digital Game Program from georgiadogs.com:
Not much to prognosticate on for this game. Get the starters some live reps, get some bench players some game experience and everyone walks out healthy. Don’t expect Kirby to cover a 40-something point spread, and he’ll be happy with the things he’ll get to coach on next week.
This thread is open for your comments throughout today’s game.
Go Dawgs!
I was very late reading the post about whether Kirby’s preferred model can continue to deliver. Unfortunately, I believe that if the number of times a player may transfer remains unlimited and the amount of money thrown around continues to expand exponentially, Kirby’s model collapses in 3 to 5 years max. We’ve already seen a program once considered an afterthought win a national championship. Georgia really needs to push hard for the pinnacle the next few years. If our model does not change we will revert to a respected team with a lot of talent, just not quite enough to get us to the promised land. We will lose one or two games a year we absolutely shouldn’t. If we make it to the playoffs we will likely lose early. Otherwise we will get trips to Orlando or Jacksonville for our bowl games. In other words, we’ll be exactly where we were when we hired Kirby to push us to the next level. It’s professional football now. I hate that, it sucks majorly, but it is. If you don’t want to coach in that environment, I understand. Get out like Saban did. Otherwise, start playing the game you now find yourself in.
Agree with this some but with a different view of the future. A CBA will be in place, 4 or 6 Power Conferences with 2 divisions each and a ridiculous 24 team playoff. All will be young professional faux-student players and winning the championship is just who has the hot hand and QB in the playoff run. NFL lite for sure. Teams will feel like a brand not your school thus becoming soulless like the NFL as well but gambling, Streaming and international expansion will keep the money flowing. This blog and those of us on it will fade away…it’s not going to be the sport we want to follow as closely.
Kirby can make more money in the NFL or TV so he’ll be gone and Sanford-Smart Stadium will be his legacy.
My interest other than game day has been in rapid decline. I used to follow recruiting. Celebrate a commitment (we all know what that’s worth today). Watch a roster get built with depth. Now…..it’s turning into a revolving door of mercenaries. Shoot, we are now even seeing NFL retreads.
UGA seems to be one of the last bastions of team loyalty and even that is eroding. Unless transfer and eligibility rules are changed, I would not be surprised to see a player go into the locker room at halftime. Hit the transfer portal. Come out dressed in the other teams colors and play for the other team in the 2nd half (with a new large bag of cash of course). I’m sure the Kiffin Kancer will pull some BS like that in the not-too-distant future and have a Louisiana “judge” on speed dial to give it the legal thumbs up.
I think a collective bargaining agreement changes everything. And college football desperately needs one. Which is why we most likely won’t see it happen. What else has this sport done in its own best interest the last 10-15 years? Not much. Sad.
On a non-NIL note. I hope that today is not like too many times in the past where we have played with our food and had the starters in late into the 3rd or early 4th quarter against a sacrificial lamb. I hope that Gunner has no need to take a snap in the second half (unless Kirby lets him take the 1st possession). I would love to see the 2nd and 3rd string RUN THE OFFENSE to it’s fullest not just hand off into the box. It’s a long season and we will need some of those guys to have plenty of gameday experience.
This is what I’d like to see. We have to play these paycheck games so use them FULLY to develop the backups. It’s a long brutal season and the apparent lack of regard Gunner has for his health means it would be smart to have a backup QB ready to plug and play. Not sure who the backup should be, but I know I’ll want the other guy.
Oh, and let me finish by saying “Dammit Bobo!”
Go Dawgs!
A favorite Mark Richt bon mot: ‘They can get hot after the game.’