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Tuesday 15 augusT 2023

Georgia begins quest for 3rd straight championship as No. 1 in AP

Top 25

By RALPH D. RUSSO poll history is 11 for Florida
AP College Football Writer State in 1990-2000. Ohio
Georgia will begin its drive State has had 11 top-five
for an unprecedented col- preseason rankings since
lege football champion- 2009.
ship three-peat as the No. CONFERENCE CALL
1 team in The Associated Over the last three years,
Press preseason Top 25. schools have been redraw-
The Bulldogs received 60 ing the conference maps.
of 63 first-place votes in the This year, the Big 12 has four
poll released Monday to new members, the Ameri-
easily outpoint No. 2 Michi- can Athletic Conference
gan, which received two has six and Conference
first-place votes and has USA has four.
its best preseason rankings The really flashy moves
since being No. 2 in 1991. come in 2024.
The Wolverines’ Big Ten ri- This season will be the last
val, Ohio State, is No. 3 with with Texas and Oklahoma
one first-place vote. in the Big 12 ( before mov-
Two more Southeastern Georgia players celebrate a win over TCU after the national championship NCAA College ing to the SEC ) and maybe
Conference teams join Football Playoff game, Jan. 9, 2023, in Inglewood, Calif. the last with a Pac-12 at all.
Georgia in the top five. Associated Press USC, UCLA, Oregon and
Alabama is No. 4, the Crim- last two seasons, and five of teams that they might ac- that started No. 1 also fin- Washington will play in the
son Tide’s lowest preseason the previous seven. Clem- tually know about. No of- ished No. 1. Only two of Big Ten next year while Ari-
ranking in more than a de- son was preseason No. 1 fense to the Minnesota 1935 those have occurred since zona, Arizona State, Colo-
cade, and LSU starts at No. in the other two seasons, team, but I don’t know if it’s 2000: Southern California in rado and Utah move to
5, its best preseason rank- making Georgia the first going to resonate with my 2004 and Alabama in 2017. the Big 12 as major college
ing since 2016. team other than the Tide or audience.” The Bulldogs “The threat for us is compla- football moves toward
The Bulldogs have won the Tigers to be preseason No. are reloading on the de- cency,” Smart said. “The sprawling super confer-
last two national titles while 1 since Ohio State in 2015. fensive front and at quar- first thing you have to do ences.
going 29-1, but this will be Alabama is also the last terback, but do not lack for is acknowledge that it’s a Heading into this season
only the second time in team to win back-to-back stars. Tight end Brock Bow- threat. Like if you acknowl- the breakdown by confer-
program history they have major college football na- ers is one of the nation’s edge the complacency is ence of teams in the Top
been preseason No. 1. The tional championships, do- best players; linebacker a threat, it’s the first step to- 25: SEC 6 (Nos. 1, 4, 5, 12,
first was in 2008. ing so in 2011 and ‘12. Jamon Dumas-Johnson wards stomping it out.” 22, 23).
Georgia started the 2021 No team has won three was a second-team All- TIDE’S OUT ... OF THE TOP Big Ten 5 (Nos. 2, 3, 7, 19,
season No. 5, before going straight national titles dur- American; and center Sed- THREE 25).Pac-12 5 (Nos. 6, 10, 14,
on to win its first national ti- ing the AP poll era, which rick Van Pran anchors one For most schools, a pre- 15, 18).
tle since 1980. The Bulldogs dates to 1936. For the re- of the country’s most tal- season No. 4 ranking would Big 12 4 (Nos. 11, 16, 17, 20).
followed up with a perfect cord, Minnesota, the first ented offensive lines. feel pretty good. ACC 3 (Nos. 8, 9, 21).
season in 2022 after being official AP champion, was Rounding out the top 10 is For Alabama, it feels like American Athletic 1 (No.
preseason No. 3. retroactively crowned Southern California at No. a sign of decline. The last 24).Independent 1 (No.
The Bulldogs have had champion for the 1934 and 6, which is the Trojans’ best time the Crimson Tide had 13). If sorted by next sea-
25 players drafted by NFL ‘35 seasons by a couple of preseason ranking since a lower preseason ranking son’s conference align-
teams the last two years, organizations. Coach Ber- 2017, followed by Penn was 2009. That was Year 3 ment the breakdown looks
including quarterback nie Bierman’s Gophers from State, Florida State, Clem- for Saban in Tuscaloosa, like this:
Stetson Bennett and All- long ago are the closest son and Washington. and Alabama went on to SEC 8 (Nos. 1, 4, 5, 11, 12,
America defensive tackle thing major college foot- The Seminoles are back in win the first of six national 20, 22, 23).
Jalen Carter this past April. ball has to a three-peater. the preseason rankings for championships during his Big Ten 8 (Nos. 2, 3, 6, 7, 10,
Coach Kirby Smart has built “We have not addressed the first time since 2018, unprecedented run. 15, 19, 25).
a program to rival Nick Sa- that with them,” Smart said and in the top 10 for the first This preseason poll is the first Big 12 3 (Nos. 14, 16, 17).
ban’s Alabama dynasty during SEC media days of time since 2017. since 2015 in which the Tide ACC 3 (Nos. 8, 9, 21).
so voters are now giving chasing college football STARTING ON TOP, STAYING did not receive at least one Pac-12 1 (No. 18 - counts
Georgia the Crimson Tide history. “We’ve certainly ON TOP first-place vote. Oregon State as a Pac-12
treatment. looked at some three-peat Beware, ‘Dawgs. The Tide did run its record team). American Athletic
Alabama had been pre- scenarios of teams like the Since the AP preseason poll streak of top-five preseason 1 (No. 24) Independent 1
season No. 1 each of the Bulls and different sports started in 1950, 11 teams rankings to 15. Next best in (No. 13).q