The Associated Press released its first Top 25 poll of the 2023 season on Monday and to no one’s surprise, the defending two-time national champion Georgia Bulldogs are No. 1.
The Bulldogs received 60 of 63 first-place votes. Michigan received two first-place votes and will start the season ranked No. 2 in the nation. Ohio State was ranked No. 3. Alabama and LSU were ranked Nos. 4 and 5, respectively.
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Head coach Kirby Smart of the Georgia Bulldogs celebrates with the College Football Playoff National Championship Trophy after defeating the TCU Horned Frogs at SoFi Stadium on Jan. 9, 2023, in Inglewood, California. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
Georgia has won the last two national championships, going 29-1 in that span. The Bulldogs haven’t lost a game since the 2021 SEC Championship against Alabama. The Bulldogs followed up the defeat with a 33-18 shellacking against the Crimson Tide in the national championship.
Last year, the Bulldogs clobbered upstart TCU 65-7 in one of the biggest margin of victories in a title game in NCAA history.
It’s only the second time in the program’s history they have been ranked No. 1 in the preseason. In 2021, Georgia started No. 5 and in 2022, they started as No. 3.
No team has won three consecutive titles in the AP poll era, which goes back to 1936. Minnesota, the first official AP champion, was retroactively declared the champions for the 1934 and 1935 seasons.
“We have not addressed that with them,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said during SEC Media Days. “We’ve certainly looked at some three-peat scenarios of teams like the Bulls and different sports teams that they might actually know about. No offense to the Minnesota 1935 team, but I don’t know if it’s going to resonate with my audience.”
Ohio State’s Kyle McCord plays against Toledo, Sept. 17, 2022, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete, File)
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Here’s how the Top 25 rolls to start the season.
- Georgia
- Michigan
- Ohio State
- Alabama
- LSU
- USC
- Penn State
- Florida State
- Clemson
- Washington
- Texas
- Tennessee
- Notre Dame
- Utah
- Oregon
- Kansas State
- TCU
- Oregon State
- Wisconsin
- Oklahoma
- North Carolina
- Ole Miss
- Texas A&M
- Tulane
- Iowa
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Notre Dame wide receiver Jayden Thomas catches a pass over BYU defensive back Jakob Robinson before running in for a touchdown on Oct. 8, 2022, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)
The college football season opens with seven games on Aug. 26, including Notre Dame and Navy playing in Ireland.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
