CONSENSUS NO. 1

Georgia placed atop AP poll

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Posted: 8/15/08

The Georgia Bulldogs officially became the nation's consensus preseason No. 1 team. The Associated Press released its preseason poll shortly before 11 a.m. with Georgia atop the rankings, the same position the Dogs occupied when the USA Today/Coaches poll was released on Aug. 1.

"To me, I can't think of another word than 'exciting,'" head coach Mark Richt told media after the practice. "It's exciting and fires me up that people think that about our program. The football world thinks we've got a shot and holds us in high esteem. That's a very good, positive statement for Georgia Football."

Word of the poll reached Richt before the end of the workout.

"I mentioned it to the team today," Richt said. "I told them what I said to you almost verbatim. It's exciting, it's an honor and there's a responsibility that goes with it."

The No. 1 preseason rankings by the AP and coaches are Georgia¹s first by a major national poll. The Bulldogs' previous highest preseason rankings came in 1942 (No. 2 AP), 2004 (No. 2 AP, No. 4 coaches) and 1967 (No. 6 AP).

Georgia finished the 2007 season ranked No. 2 by the Associated Press and No. 3 in the final USA Today/Coaches poll.

The practice in shoulder pads and shorts was just a small part of a busy day for the Bulldogs. It began early Saturday morning with meetings followed by the workout at the Woodruff Practice Fields. The Bulldogs then grabbed a quick lunch and donned their uniforms for a series of pictures including a team photo.

In the afternoon, the players and coaches were to take part UGA's Annual Picture Day at Sanford Stadium. Various Georgia sports teams were to be available from 1-3 p.m., followed by the football team from 3-5 p.m.

Georgia opens the season two weeks from today (Aug. 30) at Sanford Stadium against Georgia Southern at 12:30 p.m. ET. That contest will be televised on a pay-per-view basis by CSS.

1. Georgia (22) 0-0 1,528
2. Ohio State (21) 0-0 1,506
3. USC (12) 0-0 1,490
4. Oklahoma (4) 0-0 1,444
5. Florida (6) 0-0 1,415
6. Missouri 0-0 1,266
7. LSU 0-0 1,135
8. West Virginia 0-0 1,116
9. Clemson 0-0 1,105
10. Auburn 0-0 968
11. Texas 0-0 966
12. Texas Tech 0-0 786
13. Wisconsin 0-0 771
14. Kansas 0-0 707
15. Arizona State 0-0 631
16. Brigham Young 0-0 590
17. Virginia Tech 0-0 578
18. Tennessee 0-0 509
19. South Florida 0-0 496
20. Illinois 0-0 483
21. Oregon 0-0 366
22. Penn State 0-0 293
23. Wake Forest 0-0 227
24. Alabama 0-0 89
25. Pittsburgh 0-0 85
Others Receiving Votes
South Carolina 84, Fresno State 83, California 59, Utah 53, Cincinnati 44, Florida State 41, Michigan 36, Boston College 32, Rutgers 32, Michigan State 21, Boise State 17, Arkansas 14, North Carolina 14, Connecticut 10, Tulsa 7, UCLA 6, Oregon State 5, Mississippi State 4, Virginia 4, Arizona 3, Nebraska 2, Notre Dame 2, Hawaii 1, Washington 1.
Complete Ranking