Lucky #13
The preseason USA Today Coaches’ Poll is out this morning, and the Dawgs check in at a respectable #13. That’s third-highest for any SEC team (LSU and Florida are #2 and #3). Too high? Too low? Who knows? We do know that poll position matters when it comes to the national title race, and the Dawgs aren’t far away from cracking the top 10.
The preseason top 10:
- Southern Cal
- LSU
- Florida
- Texas
- Michigan
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Oklahoma
- Virginia Tech
- Ohio State
Six SEC teams are ranked: LSU (#2), Florida (#3), Georgia (#13), Auburn (#14), Tennessee (#15), and Arkansas (#20). South Carolina, Kentucky, and Alabama also received votes. Out-of-conference opponents Georgia Tech and Oklahoma State were also among the “others receiving votes” category.
As a reminder, here’s Georgia’s consensus preseason position over the last decade or so:
Year | Preseason | Final | Change |
1996 | – | – | – |
1997 | – | 10 | +16 |
1998 | 24 | 14 | +10 |
1999 | 15 | 16 | -1 |
2000 | 9 | 20 | -11 |
2001 | 25 | 22 | +3 |
2002 | 9 | 3 | +6 |
2003 | 10 | 7 | +3 |
2004 | 3 | 7 | -4 |
2005 | 13 | 10 | +3 |
2006 | 16 | 23 | -7 |