Why Georgia football could be starting its seasons even earlier

ATHENS — Georgia football could be getting off to hot starts in more ways than one if a recent proposal from the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision Oversight Committee is approved.

Kirby Smart has Bulldogs fans accustomed to hot starts — 10-0 in season-opening games — but Georgia might also be playing its first game in future seasons amid warmer temperatures than the past.

The oversight committee, of which Georgia athletic director Josh Brooks is a part, recommended last week the standardization of the opening game dates to the current “Week 0,” eliminating all exceptions beginning with the 2027 season.

Per the proposal, future FBS regular seasons would be standardized to 14 weeks, beginning the weekend before Labor Day and ending the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

This season’s Week 0 Saturday openers are scheduled for Aug. 29, and in 2025 the Week 0 Saturday games were played on Aug. 23.

Per a quick survey of weather-related websites, the average temperatures in Athens for those dates feature highs between 87 and 92 degrees and lows between 69 and 71 degrees.

The NCAA Division I Cabinet would have to adopt the legislation in June for the proposal to become official.

The proposal provides two open dates for all teams, giving flexibility for potential changes to the postseason and preserving standalone weekends for conference championships and the Army-Navy game.

Here’s a look at Georgia’s opening-game results over the course of Smart’s 10 years leading the Bulldogs:

2025: Aug. 30, Marshall, W, 45-7, Athens

2024: Aug. 31, Clemson, W, 34-3, Atlanta

2023: Sept. 2, UT Martin, W, 48-7, Athens

2022: Sept. 3, Oregon, W, 49-3, Atlanta

2021: Sept. 4, Clemson, W, 10-3, Charlotte, N.C.

2020: Sept. 26, Arkansas, W, 37-10, Fayetteville, Ark.

2019: Aug. 31, Vanderbilt, W, 30-6, Nashville

2018: Sept. 1, Austin Peay, W, 45-0, Athens