The USA Today Preseason Coaches Top 25 Poll has been released and the Georgia Bulldogs have claimed the No. 1 spot.
1. Georgia (11-2)
Points: 1,438 (22 first-place votes). Final 2007 rank: 3. Outlook: This could be the Bulldogs’ best team and best chance for a national title since the Herschel Walker era in the early 1980s. QB Matthew Stafford seeks to take the next step in his career, and RB Knowshon Moreno looks like a budding star. The schedule could be difficult, however, with trips to South Carolina, Arizona State, LSU and Auburn, along with the Florida game in Jacksonville. Opens: Aug. 30 vs. Georgia Southern.
Quite frankly, the top five teams are all interchangeable based on talent alone, but it’s hard to argue with Georgia being ranked No. 1 with how well they played during the back half of last year. The Dawgs scored nearly 40 points a game and Moreno looked outstanding as a freshman. He’s a true Heisman candidate as a sophomore and Stafford could wind up being the No. 1 pick in next year’s NFL Draft.
But if we’re talking about which program has the best chance of making it to a national championship, it’s not Georgia; they’re SEC schedule is too tough. USC (No. 2), Ohio State (No. 3) and even Oklahoma (No. 4) have better chances of making it to the title game based on their talent and strength of schedule. Who is going to stop the Buckeyes in the Big Ten outside of maybe Wisconsin? They should blow through their Big Ten schedule.
Comment starter: Should Georgia be ranked No. 1? Do they have the best shot of making it to the NC? If not, which program does?
