Picking the No. 1 team in the preseason USA TODAY Sports NCAA Re-Rank 1-133 was more difficult than you might think. In the end, though, the choice was clear: Georgia, the two-time defending national champions, over Michigan.
The Bulldogs will begin the 2023 season as the No. 1 team in the re-rank despite losing a parade of all-conference starters to the NFL, including quarterback Stetson Bennett and defensive lineman Jalen Carter. Georgia remains a formidable force in the quest to become the first Bowl Subdivision program in the modern era to win three straight championships.
But Michigan is close behind. More so than any other team during the Jim Harbaugh era, the Wolverines are built to dominate the Big Ten and go toe-to-toe with the Bulldogs in January − and win.
Up next are No. 3 Ohio State, No. 4 Clemson and No. 5 Alabama. The Tigers are the re-rank’s pick to win the ACC ahead of No. 7 Florida State.
Rounding out the top 10 are No. 6 Penn State, the Seminoles, No. 8 Notre Dame, No. 9 Southern California and No. 10 Texas. The Longhorns are the preseason favorite in the Big 12, followed closely by No. 13 Kansas State and No. 17 Oklahoma.
By Power Five conference, the top 25 contains six teams from the SEC, five from the Pac-12, four from the Big Ten, four from the ACC and three from the Big 12.
The re-rank now goes to 133 teams after this summer’s additions of Jacksonville State and Sam Houston State to Conference USA. The new membership total hasn’t changed the situation for Massachusetts, which was No. 131 last season and begins this year at No. 133.
Source: USA Today
