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0 Share Newsweek is a Trust Project member See more of our trusted coverage when you search. Prefer Newsweek on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search. The Georgia Bulldogs have won three out of the last four SEC championships, including two in a row coming into the 2026 campaign.
While the Bulldogs have been able to win the conference title, they've struggled in the College Football Playoff, losing in the quarterfinals against Notre Dame in 2024 and Ole Miss in 2025.
The SEC has watched the Big Ten win the last three national championships, something that was a bitter talking point for its programs during the offseason. The conference has a few teams that can contend for the title this year.
Here are the three teams that can win the SEC championship in 2026.
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Texas was a preseason favorite last year, but Arch Manning struggled to live up to the hype in the first half of the fall. Manning and the Longhorns did much better in the second half of the season, including pulling an upset against a previously unbeaten Texas A&M to end the regular season.
With the addition of transfers Cam Coleman and Hollywood Smothers, the offense should be better than last year. New defensive coordinator Will Muschamp should elevate the defense.
Texas has the most expensive roster in college football, and the Longhorns should be the favorite to win the SEC and national championship.
Georgia is a contender for the SEC, but it remains to be seen if they have enough juice to compete for the national championship. The defense should be the best part of the team.
How quarterback Gunner Stockton plays this fall will determine how much of a contender the Dawgs are for the national championship. But head coach Kirby Smart will keep Georgia in the race for a third consecutive conference crown.
All eyes will be on LSU and Lane Kiffin this season after the head coach abandoned Ole Miss amid a CFP run. Kiffin left for Baton Rouge because he believed he had a better chance of landing elite recruits with the Tigers.
LSU immediately added elite talent in the transfer portal under Kiffin, including quarterback Sam Leavitt, who led Arizona State to the CFP in 2024.
The Tigers should immediately compete for the SEC and a spot in the CFP.
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