They were led by first-year head coach Kirby Smart.

Richt was replaced with former Georgia football player Kirby Smart, who, at the time, was Alabama's defensive coordinator.

Smart played for the Bulldogs from 1995 to 1998 for coaches Ray Goff and Jim Donnan and was defensive coordinator at Alabama from 2008 to 2015 under head coach Nick Saban.

The 2016 schedule consisted of 6 home, 4 away, and 2 neutral site games in the regular season.

The Bulldogs hosted SEC foes Auburn, Tennessee, and Vanderbilt, and traveled to Kentucky, Missouri, Ole Miss, and South Carolina.