The 2024 preseason US LBM AFCA football coaches poll is out and Georgia is ranked No. 1 for the third time in program history, with 46 first-place votes. The Dawgs were ranked no. 1 in 2008 and went on to finish 10-3 and No. 10 in the final coaches poll. Georgia was ranked No. 1 in 2023 and finished 13-1 and No. 3 in the final coaches poll. Ohio State comes in at No. 2 with seven first-place votes, Oregon is No. 3, albeit with no first-place votes. Texas, at No. 4, received a first place vote, as did Michigan, ranked No. 8. Alabama rounds out the top five at No. 5.

Looking at Georgia’s schedule, the Dawgs will face the No. 4, No. 5, and No. 6 (Ole miss) teams on the road, as well as No. 14 Clemson in Atlanta to open the season and No. 15 Tennessee at home. 

USA Today Preseason Coaches Poll

1.  Georgia Bulldogs (46)

2. Ohio State Buckeyes (7)

3. Oregon Ducks 

4. Texas Longhorns (1)

5. Alabama Crimson Tide 

6. Ole Miss Rebels

7. Notre Dame Fighting Irish

8. Michigan Wolverines (1)

9. Penn State Nittany Lions

10.  Florida State Seminoles

11. Missouri Tigers Washington Huskies

12. LSU Tigers

13. Utah Utes

14. Clemson Tigers

15. Tennessee Volunteers

16. Oklahoma Sooners

17. Kansas State Wildcats

18. Oklahoma State Cowboys

19. Miami Hurricanes 

20. Texas A&M Aggies

21. Arizona Wildcats

22. N.C. State Wolfpack

23. USC Trojans

24. Kansas Jayhawks

25. Iowa Hawkeyes

After Georgia finished the 2020 season at 8-2 and won its fourth bowl game under fifth-year head coach Kirby Smart, the Dawgs went 14-1 in 2021, making the College Football Playoff and becoming the first No. 3 seed to win the national championship. Then Georgia went 15-0 in 2022, winning its second SEC Championship under Smart and its fourth-straight New Year’s Six bowl game, with Smart earning his 13th, 14th, and 15th wins over a top 10 opponent in the march to back-to-back titles.

In 2023, Georgia went 13-1, including a 12-0 run in the regular season for the third season in a row and taking down Florida State 63-3 in the Orange Bowl to break its own FBS record for margin of victory in a bowl game. At the end of the 2023 regular season, Georgia set a program and Southeastern Conference record with 29 consecutive wins, tying the Dawgs with Michigan (1901-1903), Miami (1990-1992), Florida State (2012-2014), and Clemson (2018-2019) for the ninth-longest win streak in FBS history.

Georgia heads into summer No. 1 in ESPN’s way-too-early rankings and it’s largely due to the talent returning on the offensive side of the ball.  In all, Georgia has nine returning starters on offense, including quarterback Carson Beck, Dominic Lovett, Dillon Bell, transfer Colbie Young, tight end Oscar Delp, left tackle Earnest Greene, left guard Dylan Fairchild, right guard Tate Ratledge, and right tackle Xavier Truss. On defense, the Dawgs return six starters, including nose tackle Nazir Stackhouse, edge Mykel Williams, edge Chaz Chambliss, linebacker Smael Mondon, cornerback Daylon Everette, and safety Malaki Starks.

Kirby Smart, the 2017 and 2021 SEC Coach of the Year, heads into his ninth season as the head coach at Georgia, with a 94-16 overall record and a 56-9 SEC record. Smart is 9-2 in bowl games, with wins in the Liberty Bowl, Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Peach Bowl, Orange Bowl, and the CFP National Championship. There have been 10 Consensus All-Americans under Smart, with Roquan Smith in 2017, Deandre Baker in 2018, Andrew Thomas and J.R. Reed in 2019, Nakobe Dean and Jordan Davis in 2021, Jalen Carter and Chris Smith in 2022, and Brock Bowers and Malaki Starks in 2023.

The Bulldogs are less than three weeks away from their 2024 season opener on Aug. 31 in Atlanta against Clemson with kickoff set for Noon. ET and ESPN+ set to stream the game.

Not a VIP subscriber to Dawgs247? Sign up now to get 60 percent off access to everything Benjamin Wolk, Jordan D Hill, and Kipp Adams have to offer on all things Georgia and access to the No. 1 site covering the Dawgs.