Georgia Looks To Break Jinx After AP Top 25 College Football Rankings Revealed

With the Associated Press (AP) releasing its preseason Top 25 rankings on Monday ahead of the 2024 college football season, Action Network's Brett McMurphy shared concern for the Georgia Bulldogs as they checked in at No. 1 in the polls.

McMurphy's concern is centered around the troubled reputation associated with the top spot in the preseason AP poll. Over the last 20 seasons, only two programs that have earned the top rank in the preseason AP poll have gone on to win the national championship the same year. Those two instances were the 2017 Alabama Crimson Tide and the 2004 USC Trojans.

The Bulldogs earned 46 first-place votes and 1,532 points, which allowed the program to earn the top preseason ranking for the second consecutive season.

"Godspeed No. 1 Georgia (again): 18 of last 20 AP preseason No. 1 ranked teams failed to win national title, including Georgia last season. Only Alabama in 2017 and USC in 2004 overcame the preseason No. 1 jinx," McMurphy wrote.

The Bulldogs return their star quarterback Carson Beck and an improved backfield unit through the offseason transfer portal addition of Trevor Etienne. The Bulldogs receiver corps also returns starters Dillon Bell, Arian Smith, and Dominic Lovett to help guide the program back into the College Football Playoff.

Whether the AP poll jinx will catch up with them is still to be determined, but Georgia will be prepared to prove they are the nation's best when they take the field this fall.

Georgia's season opener will be a high-profile matchup with the No. 14-ranked Clemson Tigers in the Aflac Kickoff Game from Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Aug. 31, airing on ABC with a noon (ET) kickoff.