The Georgia Bulldogs are ranked No. 1 in college football’s preseason AP Top 25 poll, released Monday. It marks the second consecutive year and third overall that the Bulldogs have opened the season ranked No. 1.
In Georgia's recent national championship runs in 2021 and 2022, the Bulldogs entered the gridiron ranked No. 5 and No. 3, respectively.
The Bulldogs received 46 of the 62 possible first-place votes, with No. 2 Ohio State receiving 15 and No. 3 Oregon receiving one. The Texas Longhorns and Alabama Crimson Tide round out the top five, with Ole Miss, Notre Dame, Penn State, Michigan, and Florida State forming the backend of the top 10.
The era of conference realignment in college football has meshed the nation's top teams into a Power 4—where the SEC and Big Ten hold a seat of their own, with the ACC and Big 12 sitting a tier behind them.
The conference realignment phenomenon is evident in the preseason AP Top 25 poll, featuring a whopping nine ranked from the SEC, all placing within the top 20. The Big Ten follows with six, the Big 12 has five, and the ACC has four., with independent Notre Dame at No. 7.
Georgia's 2024 schedule, compared to recent years, presents a gauntlet for the Bulldogs in their quest for a fourth straight undefeated regular season.
Kirby Smart and company are slated to face five teams rated in the top 15 of the preseason AP poll, all of which will occur outside of Athens.
#14 Clemson @ Mercedes-Benz Stadium - August 31st
#5 Alabama @ Bryant-Denny Stadium - September 28th
#4 Texas @ Darrell K Royal Memorial Stadium - October 19th
#6 Ole Miss @ Vaught Hemingway Stadium - November 9th
#15 Tennessee @ Sanford Stadium - November 16th
This road gauntlet bodes poorly for the Bulldogs' regular-season winning streak. They could suffer their first loss in the regular season since November 7th of the 2020 season.
Thankfully for Georgia faithful, if the program has Kirby Smart as head coach and Carson Beck as quarterback, they will be favored in almost every game they play, despite the venue. As of today, we are just a mere 18 days away from the Bulldogs' season opener vs Clemson in Mercedes-Benz Stadium.