NEW YORK — After having their two-year run as national champions come to an end, the Georgia Bulldogs will open the season ranked No. 1 in the preseason USA Today Coaches Poll.
The Bulldogs received 46 of the 55 first-place votes from college football coaches in the poll released Monday. Preseason No. 2 Ohio State got seven votes at No. 1 and was followed by Oregon, Texas and Alabama in the top five.
The Associated Press preseason college football poll is scheduled to be released next Monday.
Texas and defending national champion Michigan each also got a first-place vote. The Wolverines will open ranked No. 8 after losing coach Jim Harbaugh and quarterback JJ McCarthy to the NFL.
The No. 6 ranking by the Ole Miss Rebels represents the program’s highest preseason ranking in the coaches’ poll since 1970. Notre Dame is No. 7, and Penn State and Florida State follow Michigan to round out the top 10.
The Southeastern Conference had nine teams in the poll, including half of the top 12, with Missouri at No. 11 and LSU at No. 12. It’s the highest starting spot for SEC newcomer Texas since 2010 and the lowest for the Crimson Tide since 2009.
The Big Ten also had four teams in the top 10 and six ranked overall, and the Big 12 opens with five ranked teams.
Independent Notre Dame was the only team outside the Power 4 conferences that was ranked.
National runner-up Washington just missed the top 25.
