USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll: Georgia No. 1, Michigan has highest preseason ranking

Tired of all the offseason noise in college athletics? Eager to see some actual games?

Well, you’ll still have to wait a bit longer. But we’re getting closer. The release of the preseason USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll brings the promise that football is just a few weeks away.

Two-time defending national champion Georgia unsurprisingly will open the season at No. 1. The Bulldogs were picked first on 61 of the 66 coaches’ ballots. It is the second preseason No. 1 ranking for the Bulldogs since USA TODAY began administering the poll in 1991. The first came in 2008 when Georgia finished at No. 10.

Michigan will open the campaign at No. 2, its highest-ever preseason ranking in the coaches poll. The Wolverines didn’t receive any first-place nods but still finished a comfortable 21 poll points ahead of third-ranked Alabama.

The Crimson Tide experienced a rare playoff miss in 2022 but nevertheless picked up four preseason No. 1 votes heading into this year. That No. 3 start might bode well for them, however, as two of their championship campaigns, 2015 and 2020, began with a No. 3 ranking in the preseason.

TOP 25: Complete USA TODAY Sports AFCA preseason poll

BREAKDOWN: Preseason outlooks for every team in the preseason Top 25

LEFT OUT: The five biggest snubs in the preseason rankings

Ohio State claimed the remaining first-place vote and will open at No. 4 overall. LSU checks in at No. 5, giving the SEC three of the top five spots in the poll with a fourth, Tennessee, checking in at No. 10.

Southern California will begin at No. 6, followed by a third member of the Big Ten, Penn State, at No. 7. ACC favorites Florida State and Clemson hold the eighth and ninth spots, respectively. The No. 8 starting position is the highest for the Seminoles since 2017.

The new-look Big 12 didn’t crack the top 10. The highest-ranked team in the conference is Texas at No. 12. TCU, last year’s College Football Playoff runner-up, starts at No. 16, and usual power Oklahoma is at No. 19, its lowest preseason position since 2015. There is some good news for the league, however, as No. 24 Texas Tech has a preseason ranking for the first time since 2008.

Also of note, No. 18 Oregon State has its highest preseason ranking since 2001, when current head coach Jonathan Smith was the Beavers’ starting quarterback. No. 23 Tulane, the defending American Athletic Conference and Cotton Bowl champion, has its first-ever preseason ranking.

Overall, the SEC leads all conferences with six teams in the rankings. The Pac-12 and Big 12 each check in with five. The Big Ten and ACC come next at four and three, respectively. Tulane is the lone American school, and independent Notre Dame slots in at 13.

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