The preseason AP Poll is out and Georgia will begin the season as the No. 3 team in the country. Being ranked this high is a great honor, and the fact that Georgia is the highest ranked SEC team is another indicator of why they are the favorite to win the conference again this year, but the AP Poll did disrespect Georgia in one way.
Five teams received first place votes in the preseason AP Poll, but Georgia was not one of those teams. Ohio State and Oregon, the two teams ranked above them, received the most first place votes. No. 4 Notre Dame received six, No. 6 Indiana receiver eight, and No. 7 Miami got one first place vote. Somehow Georgia, who is the third-best team in the country, wasn't able to muster one first place vote.
BREAKING: Preseason College Football AP Poll🚨https://t.co/JL3USE6MnT pic.twitter.com/wImUOmUUg5
— On3 (@On3) August 17, 2026
Georgia's lack of first place votes in AP Poll is great motivation
Georgia already has a lot of different ways they can stay motivated this year. The lack of first place votes in the preseason AP Poll might be the biggest source of motivation for them now.
The AP voters refusing to give them a first place vote simply means none of the voters think Georgia will win a national championship this season. They do think Georgia will be one of the best teams in the country this year, but they think they will ultimately fall short of winning it all just like the last three seasons.
Other sources of motivation for Georgia this season includes winning the SEC for the third year in a row which only two other schools have done since the SEC Championship game was introduced in the 1990s. There are also a lot of fans and media members who are picking Texas over them to win the SEC this year too.
The goal at Georgia though is to win a national championship, so the fact that zero AP voters think they can win it all could be the biggest motivator in their locker room this season.
AP Poll indicates Georgia's quest to repeat as SEC Champions will be extremely difficult
The SEC once again is loaded with ranked teams. Overall there are nine teams ranked in the preseason top 25 from the SEC, and that shows just how challenging Georgia's quest to win the SEC for the third year in a row will be.
Texas is the first team behind Georgia at No. 5. Texas A&M (8), Ole Miss (9) and Oklahoma (10) round out the top 10 to give the SEC a whopping five top 10 teams in the country to start this season.
LSU came in at No. 11 with Alabama not far behind at No. 13. It's worth pointing out that this is the first time in 18 years that the Tide are ranked outside of the preseason AP Poll top 10.
Rounding out the ranked SEC teams are No. 20 Tennessee and No. 25 Missouri.
Winning the SEC for the third year in a row will not be easy. Georgia however is the highest ranked SEC team both in the preseason AP and Coaches Poll, so it's clear that they believe Georgia will come out on top. The AP voters however aren't confident Georgia can win a national championship this year, and Kirby Smart undoubtedly will use that to his advantage.
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