ITG Next has reviewed the schedule for every Georgia high school football program for the upcoming 2026 season, and we’re ready to tell you which 10 teams we think are going to have the toughest schedules.
This marks the third consecutive season that we have done the research for you, looking at every opponent of every team and giving you our opinion on who the top 10 toughest schedules belong to.
Here is the basic criteria we use:
- Opponents’ records from the previous season
- Opponents’ success during the previous season, including region titles, playoff success, and state titles, if any
- Opponents’ returning starters
In case you are wondering who had the toughest schedule the past two times we ranked them, it was Veterans in 2024 and Blessed Trinity in 2025.
Who has this year’s toughest schedules? Let’s find out.
10. Crisp County (Region 1, Class 3A)
The Crisp County Cougars of head coach Justin Newman will move into Region 1-3A this season. Their schedule includes two defending and undefeated state champions from 2025 in Worth County and Carver-Columbus, whom the Cougars play back to back in Games 8 and 9 of the 2026 season.
Crisp County will also play two 2025 state semifinalists away from home, including the season opener at Early County and later in the season at Sumter County. Brooks County is the Week 3 opponent.
We think Crisp County will have one of the toughest schedules this season.
Crisp County’s 2026 Football Schedule
- 8/21 at Early County
- 8/28 at Dooly County
- 9/04 vs. Brooks County
- 9/11 vs. Tift County
- 9/18 vs. Dougherty
- 9/25 at Landmark Christian
- 10/09 at Sumter County
- 10/16 vs. Worth County
- 10/23 at Carver-Columbus
- 10/30 vs. Kendrick
9. Carrollton Trojans (Region 2, Class 7A)
The Carrollton Trojans’ 2026 slate of opponents will include two out-of-state powers, with a trip to face Louisiana multi-state champion Catholic High School from Baton Rouge and a home game against North Carolina’s West Charlotte. Both opponents were 10-3 last year.
Carrollton and head coach Joey King open the 2026 season with a road game at Rome, which will be under the direction of new head coach Bill Stewart, before hosting 2025 Class 2A state finalist Hapeville Charter in Game 4.
We think Carrollton will have one of the toughest schedules this season.
Carrollton’s 2026 Football Schedule
- 8/21 at Rome
- 8/28 vs. Columbia
- 9/04 at Catholic (LA)
- 9/11 vs. Hapeville
- 9/18 vs. West Charlotte (NC)
- 9/25 at Archer
- 10/09 at Douglas County
- 10/16 vs. Northgate
- 10/23 at Westlake
- 10/30 vs. East Coweta
8. Brooks County (Region 1, Class 2A)
Brooks County head coach Josh McFather’s Trojans open the season at defending state champion Worth County before hosting Pierce County in Week 2.
After a road game at Crisp County, Brooks County comes back home to play yet another defending state champion in Thomas County Central.
The rest of the schedule includes region foes Thomasville, Jeff Davis, and Fitzgerald.
With this slate of opponents, we think Brooks County will have one of the toughest schedules this season.
Brooks County’s 2026 Football Schedule
- 8/21 at Worth County
- 8/28 vs. Pierce County
- 9/04 at Crisp County
- 9/18 vs. Thomas County Central
- 9/25 vs. Bacon County
- 10/2 at Thomasville
- 10/09 vs. Cook
- 10/16 at Berrien
- 10/30 vs. Fitzgerald
- 11/06 at Jeff Davis
7. Blessed Trinity (Region 6, Class 5A)
The team with the toughest schedule in 2025 was Blessed Trinity. Although reclassification has given the Titans a whole new slate of opponents, their schedule still qualifies as one of the state’s toughest in 2026.
All but one of their opponents finished with a winning record last year, including state champion Hebron Christian and Milton, who will be two of the Titans’ first three opponents of 2026.
Blessed Trinity’s 2026 Football Schedule
- 8/20 vs. Decatur
- 8/28 vs. Milton
- 9/04 at Hebron Christian
- 9/11 at Lambert
- 9/25 at Marist
- 10/02 vs. Centennial
- 10/09 at Sprayberry
- 10/16 at St. Pius X
- 10/30 vs. Chattahoochee
- 11/6 vs. Cambridge
6. Worth County (Region 1, Class 3A)
The defending state champion Worth County Rams, who won it all in Class 1A-Division I last season, move up to Class 3A in 2026. Despite having just nine regular-season games, head coach Jeff Hammond’s Rams will get a tough test from just about every opponent.
Worth County will host the Brooks County Trojans to start the season on Aug. 21 before playing a couple of 10-win programs in Cairo and Early County. Cairo was 10-3 last year, and Early County came within a win of playing for a state championship, finishing 10-4 overall.
Worth County visits Thomasville, an 8-4 team last year, before hosting Fitzgerald in a rematch of last year’s game in which Worth County rolled to a 30-7 win. Fitzgerald went on to finish 9-4 overall in 2025.
The Rams will begin their region schedule against Kendrick, then at Crisp County, before ending the season against 2025 semifinalist Sumter County and 2025 state champion Carver-Columbus.
Worth County’s 2026 Football Schedule
- 8/21 vs. Brooks County
- 8/28 vs. Cairo
- 9/04 at Early County
- 9/11 at Thomasville
- 9/18 vs. Fitzgerald
- 10/09 vs. Kendrick
- 10/16 at Crisp County
- 10/23 vs. Sumter County
- 11/06 at Carver-Columbus
5. Creekside (Region 3, Class 6A)
The defending state champion Creekside Seminoles finished 15-0 last year as they breezed to the Class 4A state title.
The Seminoles move up to Class 6A in 2026 and will open the season against two state champions right out of the gate.
They start by hosting Alabama’s defending Class 5A state champion Clay-Chalkville Cougars, who also finished last season undefeated at 15-0.
Creekside’s Week 2 opponent is Saint Joseph Regional High School from New Jersey. The Green Knights finished with 10 wins, defeating power Don Bosco Prep in the New Jersey state championship.
Creekside’s schedule eases in the middle of the season as it plays four teams that won a total of six games in 2025.
Creekside will end the season with games against Hughes and Woodward Academy, which together finished 22-4 last season.
It’s a bit of a mixed bag, but opening the season against two state champions is no easy task. That’s why we think Creekside will have one of the toughest schedules in Georgia high school football in 2026.
Creekside’s 2026 Football Schedule
- 8/22 vs. Clay-Chalkville (AL)
- 8/29 vs. Saint Joseph Regional (NJ)
- 9/11 at Newnan
- 9/18 vs. Tri-Cities
- 9/25 at Morrow
- 10/02 at McIntosh
- 10/09 vs. Northside-Columbus
- 10/16 at Lovejoy
- 10/24 vs. Hughes
- 10/31 vs. Woodward Academy
4. Grayson (Region 4, Class 7A)
The Grayson Rams and new head coach Greg Carswell will be tested in the first five weeks of the season as the Rams take on North Gwinnett in the Corky Kell + Dave Hunter Classic to open the season, followed by road games at Sandy Creek, Hughes, and Brunswick.
Their first home game isn’t until the halfway point of the season, and it will be against defending national and Georgia state champion Buford.
Two more away games at Archer and Newton have the Grayson Rams playing six of their first seven games away from their home stadium.
We think Grayson will have one of the toughest schedules in Georgia high school football in 2026.
Grayson 2026 Football Schedule
- 8/12 vs. North Gwinnett (Mercedes-Benz Stadium)
- 8/21 at Sandy Creek
- 9/04 at Hughes
- 9/11 at Brunswick
- 9/18 vs. Buford
- 10/09 at Archer
- 10/16 at Newton
- 10/23 vs. South Gwinnett
- 11/06 vs. Rockdale County
3. Lee County (Region 2, Class 6A)
The Lee County Trojans and head coach Dean Fabrizio will have one of the toughest high school football schedules of any Georgia team in Class 6A this year. Their first four opponents finished 45-10 last year and include an undefeated state champion, a state championship finalist, and Class 7A powerhouse Colquitt County.
Lee County’s Week 1 opponent is Hapeville Charter, who finished 10-5 last year while advancing to the Class 2A state championship game against Carver-Columbus.
Next up in Week 2 is Miami Carol City from Florida, who finished 6-5 last year.
After traveling to Cherokee County to battle Sequoyah in Week 3, Lee County then battles the gauntlet of Colquitt County, Thomas County Central, and Coffee.
Watch out for Tift County in Week 9. The Blue Devils host the Trojans and always play well against Fabrizio’s program.
The regular season finale is against Houston County.
Lee County’s 2026 Football Schedule
- 8/21 vs. Hapeville
- 8/28 vs. Miami Carol City (FL)
- 9/04 at Sequoyah
- 9/11 vs. Colquitt County
- 9/25 vs. Thomas County Central
- 10/02 at Coffee
- 10/09 vs. Veterans
- 10/16 at Northside-Warner Robins
- 10/23 at Tift County
- 11/06 vs. Houston County
2. Douglas County (Region 2, Class 7A)
The Douglas County Tigers will play one of the state’s toughest high school football schedules in 2026 based on how each of their opponents finished last season.
The Tigers’ 2026 schedule includes two defending state champions who were undefeated last year. Sandy Creek is their Week 2 opponent, with Carver-Columbus coming up in Game 4.
Douglas County also plays state semifinalist Rome and state championship finalist Carrollton back to back in Weeks 5 and 6.
Northgate, an 8-3 team last year, and Newton, an 8-4 team last year, are also on the schedule.
Douglas County’s 2026 Football Schedule
- 8/22 vs. Newton
- 8/28 vs. Sandy Creek
- 9/04 vs. Douglass
- 9/18 at Carver-Columbus
- 9/25 vs. Rome
- 10/09 vs. Carrollton
- 10/16 at East Coweta
- 10/23 at Northgate
- 10/30 vs. Chapel Hill
- 11/06 at Westlake
1. Gainesville (Region 7, Class 6A)
New head coach Santavious Bryant will start his first year at Gainesville by leading the REd Elephants through the toughest high school football schedule in Georgia in 2026.
Their first four opponents had a combined 47-7 overall record last year.
Two of the first four opponents are defending state champions, including a national champion, with a third team that was the Illinois state championship runner-up.
Gainesville opens at Buford, which finished as the GHSA Class 6A state champion and the national champion last season.
Gainesville then head to Illinois to take on the 11-time state champion East St. Louis Flyers. The Flyers won the 2024 Illinois Class 6A state championship but were denied a 12th state title last year, falling short in the championship game.
Game 3 for Gainesville will be McEachern, which was a Class 7A top-10 program all season in 2025 while finishing 10-1.
The next opponent for Gainesville will be South Carolina state champion Oceanside Collegiate, who won its third consecutive state title in 2025.
The Red Elephants will be able to catch their breath, for the most part, the rest of the way with four of the remaining teams having won a total of just five games combined last year with 35 losses. However, the other two opponents are Milton and Roswell, who will be considered favorites to win the region and compete for the state championship alongside Gainesville.
Gainesville’s 2026 Football Schedule
- 8/22 at Buford
- 9/04 at East St. Louis (IL)
- 9/11 vs. McEachern
- 9/18 vs. Oceanside (SC)
- 9/25 vs. Alpharetta
- 10/02 at Roswell
- 10/09 at Johns Creek
- 10/16 vs. Riverwood
- 10/23 vs. Milton
- 10/30 at Lanier
