Georgia football has ended the last two seasons as the No. 1 ranked team in the country. For the first time in the Kirby Smart era, the Bulldogs will open the season as the No. 1 team in the Coaches Poll.

Georgia received 61 first-place votes in the poll, placing them above No. 2 Michigan, No. 3 Alabama, No. 4 Ohio State and No. 5 LSU. Alabama received four first-place votes and Ohio State received one.

The Bulldogs last opened the season as the No. 1 team in the coaches poll to start the 2008 season. Georgia that year went 10-3.

Georgia has spent time during the regular season as the No. 1 team in each of the past two seasons. The Bulldogs went 15-0 a season ago, becoming the first team to win back-to-back national championships in the College Football Playoff era.

The Bulldogs do have some key players to replace but also bring back several stars, including tight end Brock Bowers. Georgia had 11 players named to the Preseason First Team All-SEC team last month, the most of any team in the SEC.

“The biggest focus for us in training camp is physical and mental toughness. That’s why we do training camp,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said to open fall camp. “We try to expose our guys to a lot of scheme, a lot of getting to know each other moving in to one central location and really just focusing in on ourselves. I think the difference in the two teams from the last two years is they connected well in training camp, and that’ll be a goal in this training camp: to see how well we connect and how well we compete.”

Georgia’s schedule doesn’t appear too difficult based on the teams the Bulldogs are set to face. Only Tennessee, No. 10, and Ole Miss, No. 22, are ranked in the preseason Coaches Poll. Georgia plays Ole Miss on Nov. 11 and Tennessee on Nov. 18.

The SEC has six teams ranked in the initial poll, the most of any of Power 5 conference.

The Bulldogs are currently making their way through fall practice, with the pads first coming on this past Saturday. Georgia will have their first scrimmage this coming Saturday.

Georgia’s first game comes against UT-Martin on Sept. 2. Below you can see the full Preseason Coaches Poll for the 2023 season.

Preseason 2023 Coaches Poll Top 25 rankings