ESPN puts Georgia among college football's elite in preseason power rankings
Georgia is ranked behind No. 3 Clemson, No. 2 Penn State and No. 1 Texas. If the Bulldogs finished the season as the No. 4 team in the country, then Georgia would have a first round bye in the College Football Playoff (under the new format) regardless of if Georgia wins the SEC championship.
"While much of the focus will be on new starting quarterback Gunner Stockton in Georgia's first two games against Marshall and FCS program Austin Peay, Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart might be more interested in whether his offense can produce an effective running game," ESPN's Mark Schlabach said.
Georgia has an easy start to the season with two straight games against non-Power Four opponents. The Bulldogs face their first real challenge in Week 3 as the Dawgs hit the road to play Tennessee in their SEC opener.
Georgia needs to be more dominant in the run game in 2025 after finishing second-to-last in the SEC a season ago. The Bulldogs are going to need to run the ball and stop the run better this season if they want to justify ESPN's lofty preseason ranking.
ESPN's preseason college football power rankings
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