For the second time in Georgia Football history, Georgia is a pre-season number one. The first time it happened was in 2008 and we all know how that went. Times are a little different, however.
BREAKING: The Bulldogs are back on top.
— AP Top 25 (@AP_Top25) August 14, 2023
Georgia is No. 1 in the preseason AP Top 25 for the first time in 15 years. Big Ten rivals Michigan and Ohio State are next. https://t.co/fvQjvb8g0I pic.twitter.com/EefTX0GMqR
These pre-season polls do not mean anything when the season starts and really not one ranking means anything until October when the playoff committee comes out. These polls are a barometer of what the expectations are for a team. Georgia is expected to be back in the playoffs and for that matter play for another national title.
2017 Alabama and 2004 USC are the only AP pre-season #1 who went on to win a national title in this century. On another hand, there have only been two teams who were pre-season number one to miss the playoffs. 2015 Ohio State and 2022 Alabama.
Here is the AP Pre-season Top 10
- Georgia
- Michigan
- Ohio State
- Alabama
- LSU
- USC
- Penn State
- FSU
- Clemson
- Washington
Of course, Texas (#11) and Notre Dame (#13) are all in the top 15. They always are regardless of the decade or the past season they have had. Tennessee was actually ranked correctly at 12. Good for the AP poll for taking a stand against narratives this offseason!
Tennessee and Ole Miss are the only ranked teams Georgia will face as of right now on their schedule. If Georgia goes on to win the east and a trip to Atlanta in the SEC Championship, they could potentially face LSU or Alabama who are both ranked in the top 5.
People can make what they will out of that stat. It’s not Georgia’s fault over half of the SEC East is in shambles. Well, maybe it is because everyone is trying to catch up and Kirby keeps widening the gap.
Here is a look at the Preseason AP Poll in @CFBPlayoff Era
— DawgStats (@DawgStats) August 14, 2023
-2017 Alabama only #1 to Win CFP
-2017 FSU, 2018 Wisc, 2014 OU only teams in AP T4 to finish unranked
-No team ranked #1 AP Preseason has finished lower than 5th in Final AP
-Champ has never been ranked lower than 6 https://t.co/1ZWBS1Ttlp pic.twitter.com/RCyslbRbVY
The key stat here is that No team ranked #1 AP Preseason has finished lower than 5th in Final AP. Georgia should go on to have a good season if history holds true. Which usually it does. But if Georgia finishes #5 will the fanbase be happy? I would be extremely disappointed if this team did not make the playoffs at the very least.