AP Poll: Georgia jumps Alabama for the No. 1 spot

The Dawgs are back on top…

Georgia football (2-0) has overtaken Alabama (2-0) for the No. 1 spot on the new AP Top 25 Poll after the Dawgs 33-0 win over Samford in Week-2.

The Crimson Tide squeezed out a 20-19 win over Texas in Austin on Saturday.

This move is not a surprise if you watched how undisciplined Alabama looked versus the Longhorns.

The Tide were called for 15 penalties which totaled 100 yards.

With Texas A&M’s loss to Appalachian State at home, the Aggies moved from No. 6 down to No. 24.

Kentucky (9) and Arkansas (10) both made a move up with SEC wins over Florida and South Carolina.

The Gators were kicked to number 18 after the 26-16 loss to the Wildcats.

The Bulldogs will begin SEC play on Sept. 17 at South Carolina (1-1).

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AP Poll rankings: Georgia football not a top-4 team

Georgia is listed as the No. 5 team in the country…

The 2021 preseason AP Poll top-25 is out and Georgia football finds itself outside looking in.

The Associated Press has the Bulldogs listed as the No. 5 team in the country behind Ohio State, Clemson, Oklahoma and defending champion Alabama.

Georgia returns 84% of its production on offense, including star quarterback J.T. Daniels, and besides a new-look secondary – which now features two of the top defensive backs in the country in transfers Derion Kendrick and Tykee Smith – Georgia will have one, if not the best front seven in college football. Pair that with returning the SEC’s best special-teams unit a year ago and I don’t see how you can put the Bulldogs anywhere but the top-4.

AP Poll voters clearly prioritized Oklahoma and the play calling ability of head coach Lincoln Riley along with Heisman-hopeful quarterback Spencer Rattler in listing Oklahoma at No. 2.

The Sooners’ defense should be the question…

While Oklahoma allowed 350 yards per game on average in 2020 (middle of the pack), the defense looked abysmal against a 4-6 Kansas State which put up 38 points on the way to an upset win. Iowa State was able to put up 37 points in the Sooner’s only other loss in 2020.

Not saying the unit can’t improve but there is a significant gap in defensive play here. For example, the Sooners have allowed 54 points per game to SEC teams in the college football playoffs on the way to an 0-3 record.

On the other hand, Alabama and Clemson are undeniable here. Alabama has reloaded with quarterback Brice Young and Ohio State transfer receiver Jameson Williams after losing some top playmakers on both sides of the ball, but when does coach Nick Saban not reload?

Clemson is once again a powerhouse even after losing some key playmakers as well. Quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei looked fantastic when given the chance behind Trevor Lawrence and the Tigers’ defense returns almost every starter from a year ago.

Georgia versus Clemson on Sept. 4 is going to be an awesome matchup.

Then there is Ohio State, who replaces star quarterback Justin Fields with former five-star C.J. Stroud and returns two of the top receivers in the country in Garret Wilson and Chris Olave. But on defense, the Buckeyes took a big dip in 2020 after losing multiple stars to the NFL draft. If Ohio State can find continuity on that side of the ball, they should own the Big Ten in 2021. That said, none of these things constitutes a higher ranking than the Bulldogs…

Several other SEC teams received high praise from AP voters. Texas A&M is listed at No. 6 even after losing star quarterback Kellen Mond to the NFL. The Aggies return a serious run game and most of its defensive production, which finished behind Georgia as the top unit in the SEC in 2020.

The final SEC teams included in the poll is Florida at No. 13 and LSU at No. 16.

2021 preseason AP Poll:

  1. Alabama
  2. Oklahoma
  3. Clemson
  4. Ohio State
  5. Georgia
  6. Texas A&M
  7. Iowa State
  8. Cincinnati
  9. Notre Dame
  10. North Carolina
  11. Oregon
  12. Wisconsin
  13. Florida
  14. Miami
  15. USC
  16. LSU
  17. Indiana
  18. Iowa
  19. Penn State
  20. Washington
  21. Texas
  22. Coastal Carolina
  23. Lousiana
  24. Utah
  25. Arizona State

 

Georgia football moves up in this week’s AP Poll

Georgia is moving in the right direction according to this week’s AP Poll. See where the Bulldogs rank here.

Georgia moved from No. 13 to No. 11 in the latest AP Poll rankings released on Sunday.

The Bulldogs (6-2) have found a spark in USC transfer quarterback JT Daniels.

The Irvine, California native had a great first start vs. Mississippi State two weeks ago when he threw for 400 yards and four touchdowns and a solid showing on Saturday vs. South Carolina, completing 10 of 16 passes for 139 yards with two touchdowns and one tipped-pass interception.

A quarterback was all Georgia was missing and now that it seems that the Bulldogs have found their signal caller, the polls should show UGA a little more love.

On a more positive note, Georgia is ranked No. 9 in the College Football Playoff Rankings and the Bulldogs may even be in a better spot when the updated rankings are released on Tuesday night.

Here’s the week-14 AP Poll in its entirety.

#1 Alabama (62)
#2 Notre Dame
#3 Ohio State
#4 Clemson
#5 Texas A&M
#6 Florida
#7 Cincinnati
#8 BYU
#9 Miami
#10 Indiana
#11 Georgia
#12 Iowa State
#13 Oklahoma
#14 Coastal Carolina
#15 Marshall
#16 Northwestern
#17 USC
#18 Wisconsin
#19 Oklahoma State
#20 Louisiana
#21 Oregon
#22 Tulsa
#23 Washington
#24 Iowa
#25 Liberty

Georgia’s next game will be in Athens on Dec. 5 vs. Vanderbilt (0-8).

 

Georgia football No. 4 in AP Top 25 Preseason poll

The Associated Press has released its AP Top 25 Preseason poll. Georgia football is No. 4, where is the rest of the SEC? Details here.

The Associated Press has released its annual college football preseason top 25 rankings.

Georgia comes in at No. 4 with Alabama at No. 3, Ohio State at No. 2 and Clemson at the No. 1 spot.

The SEC leads all conferences with seven teams ranked in the top 25, followed by the Big Ten with six.

The Big 12 is next with four, followed by both the ACC and Pac-12 with three and the American with two.

In regards to the Bulldog’s opponent rankings for the 2020 season:

  • Alabama (3)
  • Florida (8)
  • Auburn (11)
  • Tennessee (25)

See the full preseason AP Top 25 here with SEC programs in bold:

1. Clemson (38)
2. Ohio State (21)
3. Alabama (2)
4. Georgia
5. Oklahoma
6. LSU (1)
7. Penn State
8. Florida
9. Oregon
10. Notre Dame
11. Auburn
12. Wisconsin
13. Texas A&M
14. Texas
15. Oklahoma State
16. Michigan
17. USC
18. North Carolina
19. Minnesota
20. Cincinnati
21. UCF
22. Utah
23. Iowa State
24. Iowa
25. Tennessee