AP Releases Preseason Top 25 Poll, Georgia Enters at No. 1

The Associated Press released its official preseason top-25 poll on Monday as everyone waits about three weeks for college football to regain control of Saturdays.

As expected, the defending two-time national champion Georgia Bulldogs enter the season as the top-ranked team in the poll, followed by a Michigan program trying to recover from a College Football Playoff semifinal loss to TCU.

Right behind the Wolverines are their rival, the Ohio State Buckeyes, who are aiming to prevent Michigan from winning three-straight Big Ten championships. With Georgia, Michigan and Ohio State claiming the top three spots, Alabama enters the poll at No. 4, its lowest preseason ranking since 2009 when head coach Nick Saban won his first national title for the Crimson Tide. This is the first year since 2015 Alabama did not receive any first-place votes in the AP's preseason poll.

Entering the poll at Nos. 5 and 6 are LSU and USC, both in their second years under Brian Kelly and Lincoln Riley, respectively. The Tigers went 10-4 in Kelly's first season at the helm, losing to Georgia in the SEC Championship before blowing out Purdue in the Citrus Bowl.

Since arriving in Baton Rouge, Kelly has brought in the fifth-best recruiting class in the country to build on the success of his first year.

Out in Los Angeles, the Trojans are preparing for their last season in the flailing Pac-12 before joining the Big Ten in 2024. This year, USC has one goal: beat Utah. The Utes were the only team to hand USC a conference loss last year, delivering the Trojans their first loss of the season in Week 7, and handily beating USC in the Pac-12 championship.

USC's 2022 ended with a Cotton Bowl loss to Michael Pratt and Tulane, who enter the 2023 poll ranked 24th.

Favorites to repeat in the new-look American Athletic Conference, the Green Wave dethroned Cincinnati last season, and no longer have to deal with the Bearcats, Houston or UCF as all three schools will make their Big 12 debuts in 2023.

The only team behind Tulane in the preseason poll is Iowa, the second team from the Big Ten West in the poll. The Hawkeyes went 8-5 in 2022 following a 2021 division championship. This year, the AP views Iowa as the second-best team in the Big Ten West as it ranked Wisconsin, entering its first year under former Cincinnati coach Luke Fickell, at No. 19.

Fickell led the Bearcats to two AAC championships, two AAC Championship Game appearances, a CFP appearance in 2021, and two more New Year's Six bowl appearances in his six seasons in Cincinnati. Now, he is tasked with leading the Badgers to their first division title since 2019.

Other notables in the poll include Florida State and Clemson entering at Nos. 8 and 9, respectively. The Tigers are currently betting favorites to win the ACC with +150 odds, followed by the Seminoles at +170, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. North Carolina, the only other ACC team to appear in this AP Poll, is ranked in the preseason for just the third time in the last 17 years.

Similarly in the Pac-12, Utah and Oregon enter the poll at Nos. 14 and 15, respectively. However, the AP placed Washington over both the Utes and Ducks, ranking the Huskies at No. 10.

Penn State entering the poll at No. 7 pits three teams from the Big Ten East in the top 10, the most of any division. That's tied for Penn State's highest preseason AP ranking since 1994.

The SEC has the most teams in the poll of any conference with six. The Big Ten and Pac-12 are tied for second with five, while the Big 12 is fourth with four. The ACC ranks last in the Power 5 with three teams in the poll. The American is the only Group of 5 conference with a team in the poll, and independent Notre Dame came in ranked No. 13.