GREENSBORO, Ga. — Georgia opens the 2024 season in a major non-conference game against the Clemson Tigers. As for its 2025 and 2026 opener against UCLA, there’s still some uncertainty with that series taking place.
“We’re still working through it,” Georgia athletic director Josh Brooks said following the spring athletic board meetings. “I would hope to have an update on that soon.”
The series against UCLA was first scheduled back in 2015, prior to Kirby Smart’s arrival as the head coach of the program.
The college sports landscape has changed considerably since the series was first scheduled. UCLA is now a member of the Big Ten, while the SEC has expanded as well. Texas and Oklahoma will join the SEC starting this fall, with Georgia visiting Texas on Oct 19.
Brooks first raised questions about the future of the UCLA series back in March.
“With the evolution of the Big Ten schedule and our schedule, we’ve got to make decisions that are best for us and they’ve got to make decisions that are best for them,” Brooks said in a radio interview with 92.9. “Everything is in play. We’ll see. It’s a fluid situation.”
UCLA is transitioning into the Big Ten and will have a first-time head coach running things this year in DeShaun Foster. He replaces Chip Kelly, who had left to be the offensive coordinator at Ohio State. The Bruins went 8-5 this past season, while Georgia went 13-1.
As it stands, Georgia is still scheduled to visit UCLA on Aug. 30, 2025. The return game is set to be played on Sept. 5, 2026 in Athens. Georgia and UCLA last played each other in 1983, with Georgia beating the Bruins 19-8.
Georgia also has 2025 non-conference games against Austin Peay, Charlotte and Georgia Tech. In 2026, the Bulldogs have games scheduled against Louisville, Georgia Tech and Western Kentucky.
This would not be the first time Georgia would need to fill a non-conference game quickly. Georgia was set to play Oklahoma in Norman, Okla., in 2023 but that series was scrapped at the behest of the SEC, as the Sooners would join the conference prior to the scheduled return game in Athens in 2031.
Georgia replaced the game with a contest against Ball State. Georgia won that game 45-3.
UCLA is not the only marquee home-and-home Georgia has scheduled. The Bulldogs also have contests against Louisville, Florida State, Clemson and Ohio State on the schedule.
The game this coming fall against Clemson will be played in Atlanta, with kickoff set for 12 p.m. ET on ABC.