Dawgs debut at 3 in AP poll

The Georgia Bulldogs are third in the AP preseason college football poll, sliding in behind top-ranked Clemson and number two Alabama. The Dogs are 11 days away from their season opening game in Nashville versus the Vanderbilt Commodores. 

From Conner Riley, AJC DawgNation

The first AP Poll of the college football season came out on Monday. And it seems that voters think pretty highly of the Bulldogs, as Georgia came in as the No. 3 ranked team in the nation.

The Bulldogs enter the 2019 season slotted only behind No. 1 Clemson and No. 2 Alabama. Those two teams played for the national title a season ago, with Clemson winning 44-16. Alabama took down Georgia in the SEC championship game, with the Crimson Tide winning by a score of 35-28.

Oklahoma came in at No. 4 followed by Ohio State at No. 5. Both those schools will have transfer quarterbacks leading the way. Oklahoma will be led by former Alabama quarterback Jalen Hurts, while Ohio State has former Georgia quarterback Justin Fields to guide its offense.

Georgia was one of X ranked SEC teams in the poll. The other SEC teams to make the top 25 include LSU at No. 6, Florida at No. 8, Texas A&M at No. 12, Auburn coming in at No. 16. In addition to Florida, Texas A&M and Auburn, Georgia will also host the No. 9 ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish this year. Georgia and Notre Dame will meet on Sept. 21. The game is scheduled for an 8 p.m. kickoff and will air on CBS.

Georgia went 11-3 last season but ended the 2018 campaign on a two-game losing streak. After falling to Alabama in the SEC championship game, the Bulldogs lost to Texas in the Sugar Bowl. Georgia ended last season ranked No. 7 in the final AP Poll.

The Bulldogs return a number of contributors from last year's team, highlighted by quarterback Jake Fromm and running back D'Andre Swift. In the first Coaches Poll, Georgia also came in ranked as the No. 3 team in the country.

The Bulldogs also brought in the nation’s No. 2 overall signing class, led by 5-star prospects Nolan Smith and George Pickens.

The 2019 season starts for Georgia on Aug. 31, when the Bulldogs visit the Vanderbilt Commodores. The game is set for a 7:30 p.m. ET start time and will be broadcast on the SEC Network.

AP Poll Top 25: Preseason 2019 rankings

No.

School

Conference

1.

Clemson

ACC

2.

Alabama

SEC

3.

Georgia

SEC

4.

Oklahoma

Big 12

5.

Ohio State

Big Ten

6.

LSU

SEC

7.

Michigan

Big Ten

8.

Florida

SEC

9.

Notre Dame

Independent

10.

Texas

Big 12

11.

Oregon

PAC 12

12.

Texas A&M

SEC

13.

Washington

PAC 12

14.

Utah

PAC 12

15.

Penn State

Big Ten

16.

Auburn

SEC

17.

UCF

AAC

18.

Michigan State

Big Ten

19.

Wisconsin

Big Ten

20.

Iowa

Big Ten

21.

Iowa State

Big 12

22.

Syracuse

ACC

23.

Washington State

PAC 12

24.

Nebraska

Big Ten

25.

Stanford

PAC 12