Georgia Football: Why preseason rankings don’t matter
By Ashley Espie
In the latest preseason rankings from USA Today, Georgia football moved up eight spots, from No. 11 to No. 3. But that’s no reason for Georgia fans to get excited.
Preseason rankings are just a guess. A shot in the dark at one possible outcome among a multitude of possibilities. What has happened in the Georgia football program from January 14th until now to change the mind of USA Today? Nothing. Nada.
Todd Monken was not yet the new offensive coordinator, but a hire was expected any day and Jamie Newman was already enrolled in classes. Yet somehow, over the course of 75 days, amidst canceled practices and spring games, Georgia moved up to no. 3 in the country. The team who is trying to create an entirely new identity on offense and just lost precious time to do so somehow gained ground?
Now, I’m not saying Georgia football shouldn’t be number three. The defense returns almost all of its starters and, like last year, the pieces are there for the offense to be unstoppable. I think it’s ridiculous that the Bulldogs weren’t in the top 10 to begin with. But, I think preseason rankings are ridiculous too.
More from Dawn of the Dawg
- Georgia Football: Top 5 Nick Chubb Moments at Georgia
- Georgia Football: Know the enemy UAB Blazers
- Nick Chubb is America’s running back, and he will return
- Georgia Football: Should laundry list of injuries be a cause to panic?
- Georgia Football: Report cards for Week 3 game against South Carolina
I still remember the 2008 Georgia football team that started the season No. 1 and struggled to beat Georgia Southern in convincing fashion. I remember the 2017 Georgia team that didn’t start the season in the top 10, yet finished one busted coverage away from winning a national championship.
What did Georgia do to move up in the preseason rankings? The same thing that caused Ohio State to rise and Alabama to drop, absolutely nothing. It’s just an arbitrary decision based on the writer’s changing feelings from January to now.
It’s a meaningless, shifting list that rewards some teams while punishing others for doing nothing. It’s another shot in the dark to draw views and cause controversy. It’s, dare I say it, rat poison. It creates unnecessary hype and overconfidence for some teams while inciting an undeserved underdog mentality for others.
But, you’ll argue, how can we start the season without rankings? I don’t know the answer. Personally, I think the defending champ should always be ranked No. 1 and everyone else should have to earn their spot. Maybe we start with the final rankings from the previous season. Honestly, I don’t care. Just don’t release any more attempts at educated guesses that are subject to change every few weeks based on nothing.