ATHENS — Georgia football looked far from the No. 1 team in the country on Saturday when the Bulldogs needed a 13-12 win over Kentucky to move to 3-0 on the season.
Georgia held onto the No. 1 ranking in the Coaches Poll Top 25 rankings, but its lead over the No. 2 spot — now held by Texas — dwindled.
The Ohio State Buckeyes now sit at at No. 3, with Alabama at No. 4 and Ole Miss at No. 5. Georgia next faces Alabama on Sept. 28 after a bye week.
Georgia knows it has plenty to correct coming out of Saturday’s game. The Bulldogs will now have an off week to do so.
“When you go on the road for the first time in the SEC, at night, and you keep a team in the game, you don’t start fast, it’s going to be a challenge,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “We responded to the challenge. The best thing is we got a lot of things we can work on.”
The Bulldogs were outgained by Kentucky, with quarterback Carson Beck throwing for 160 yards.
Thanks to Georgia’s defense, the Bulldogs were able to just enough to hold on to the win. Georgia has yet to give up a touchdown thus far this season, holding Kentucky to four field goals.
Georgia is the first team since 2016 Alabama to go four consecutive games without giving up a touchdown. The Bulldogs will need a similar effort when they take on Alabama.
“Football’s hard these days. Our defense takes a lot of pride in how they play,” Smart said. “I think our defensive staff does an incredible job. They work really hard on game planning for people, and we’re going to play better and better offenses. We’ve got to get better and better, but it’s pretty hard to do.”
You can see the full Coaches Poll Top 25 rankings for Week 4 below.
Coaches Poll rankings for Week 4
1. Georgia
2. Texas
3. Ohio State
4. Alabama
5. Ole Miss
6. Oregon
7. Tennessee
T-8. Penn State
T-8. Missouri
10. Utah
11. Miami
12. USC
13. Oklahoma
14. Kansas State
15. Oklahoma State
16. LSU
17. Michigan
18. Notre Dame
19. Clemson
20. Louisville
21. Iowa State
22. Nebraska
23. Memphis
24. Texas A&M
25. UNLV
