College Football AP preseason poll released: Georgia lands at No. 1

Rusty Gorelick Updated: Aug 14 2023 22:43 Published: Aug 14 2023 22:41

The Associated Press released its preseason top 25 rankings and for the first time since 2008, Georgia tops the list.

The Georgia Bulldogs, despite losing quarterback Stetson Bennett and seeing three members of last year’s team picked in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, earned the top spot after blowing out TCU in last year’s National Championship, 65-7. The Bulldogs are the favorites to win the 2024 National Championship at +220.

Big Ten rivals Michigan and Ohio State round out the top three, while SEC giants Alabama and LSU are ranked fourth and fifth, respectively.

Alabama have the second-shortest to win the championship at +550, followed by Ohio State at +650 and Michigan at +1000.

Ohio State’s loaded wide receiver corps led by Marvin Harrison, Jr. and Emeka Egbuka will cause problems for any defense. Kyle McCord is the clear favorite to take the starting job, but Oregon State transfer Tristan Gebbia could have an outside shot. McCord’s Heisman odds are +2000, Harrison, Jr.’s are at +2200, and Egbuka’s are at +8000.

Star power in Hollywood

The University of Southern California, led by +500 Heisman Trophy favorite Caleb Williams, are ranked sixth and are rated at +1400 to win the national title. Williams, who won last year’s Heisman, completed 66.6% of his pass attempts and threw for 42 touchdowns against five interceptions last season while leading the Trojans to an 11-3 record.

Now a junior, Williams will want to bring glory to his school before he is likely selected with one of the top picks in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Williams has plenty of options to pass to, as his second, third, and fourth most productive receivers from 2022 return in the forms of Tahj Washington, Mario Williams, and Brenden Rice, respectively.

Big name, new face

Tennessee landed prized recruit Arch Manning, the nephew of Eli and Peyton Manning, a true freshman with +4000 odds to take home the Heisman. The Tennessee Volunteers are coming off an 11-2 season in which they beat Alabama after not being ranked in the preseason poll.

Reports described Manning’s performance in a preseason scrimmage as “amazing,” meaning the hype continues to build around the newest quarterback in the Manning family.

At +2500, the Volunteers have the 10th-best odds to win the National Championship. With a potential star under center, Tennessee has a chance to build on an impressive 2022 season.

Horned Frogs hard to pin down

After not being ranked in last season’s preseason poll, TCU went 13-2 and reached the National Championship game before Georgia blew them out.

This time around, the Horned Frogs are ranked 17th in the nation and have the 19th-best odds to take the title at +6600.

Quarterback Max Duggan won the starting job over current sophomore Chandler Morris, who injured his knee early in the season. Duggan was since drafted into the NFL, so Morris will get a chance at a full season under center if he stays healthy.