The preseason installments of both the Associated Press Top 25 and USA Today/AMWAY Coaches polls have officially been released. How well was UGA football treated in the preseason polls? UGA Bulldogs football has been granted a loud presence in both, being in each listing’s top ten.
Looking at the specifics, the Bulldogs have a Coaches Poll ranking of 5th to start the season. Meanwhile, their opening placement in the AP poll is the exact same, leaving them out of the initial playoff picture. It’s not all bad, though, as the latter poll gifted the SEC powerhouse with five first-place votes.
To put it simply, both sources see Georgia as a top-notch talent in college football this year, with even their chances of a national title being humored. However, such a declaration was to be expected, considering their abundance of success in recent memory.
The question of the matter, regards whether or not was UGA ranked adequately. In other words, were the Dawgs ranked too high, too low, or just right in correlation to how their 2021-22 season will turn out?
Is Fifth Place A Good Spot For UGA?
The short answer is yes; the long answer is that fifth place was absolutely spot-on.
When taking a glance at Georgia’s regular season slate, their opening game against the Clemson Tigers is the only one that the former should be anticipating a loss from. Outside of that, the rest should fall their way (even the Florida game).
If such an unfolding of events were to occur, the Dawgs would most definitely be a top-six team in America. Heading into their conference championship game against who would most likely be Alabama, a Georgia loss would feel like a guarantee.
Despite the affair being somewhat competitive, the defeat would still be fatal to any potential playoff berth for UGA. Subsequently, they would be offered a New Year’s Six bowl appearance instead. The hypothetical bowl in question would most likely be the Sugar.
Keeping in mind the might of the Bulldogs, a Sugar Bowl victory would be in no way a shocker. Doing so would leave them with a final record of 12-2, all while participating in the country’s toughest CFB conference. Finishing the season in fifth place with that resume is a safe bet to say the least.
What About The Teams Above The Dawgs?
Aside from a minute difference between each polls’ placements of Clemson and Oklahoma, the two CFP projections are the same. Both the AP and Coaches polls have the top four consisting of Alabama, Oklahoma, Clemson, and Ohio State.
Such an assortment is quite believable, as each of the said powerhouses have at least four CFP appearances since its fabrication 7 short years ago.
As far as how the schools perform now, they are all still deserving of playoff consideration. Alabama are the defending champs, OSU is the defending runner-up, Clemson was in the bracket last year, and Oklahoma finished the 2020-21 stretch ranked sixth.
The idea of UGA being the first one up behind those elite four is nothing to be ashamed of, and it has been proven to certainly not be far-fetched in any way.
The Takeaway For UGA Football
To summarize, the preseason polls both have the Dawgs pegged for exactly how the 2021-22 college football season will treat them. There are only two ways that Georgia can defy their expectations: Lose a game(s) that they shouldn’t, or beat Alabama. In other words, fifth place is the best that UGA will (and can) do.
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