Can anyone beat Georgia?
History says the Bulldogs won’t three-peat as national champions — because no one in the modern era has.
Alabama won six titles under Nick Saban, but never three in a row.
Vince Young’s heroics prevented Pete Carroll’s USC Trojans from doing it.
You have to go back to Army in the 1940s to find the last time it was done — and the Cadets, as they were known then, weren’t consensus champions.
Repeating is hard. Three-peating is harder.
And yet ... Georgia is our preseason No. 1. Despite another year of heavy losses to the NFL, the Bulldogs are the team to beat until proven otherwise.
Who has the best chance to dethrone them? Check out Star sports reporter/columnist Michael Lev’s official preseason ballot for the Associated Press Top 25:
1. Georgia
2022 record: 15-0, 8-0 SEC (won national championship)
Coach: Kirby Smart (eighth year)
In a sentence: The Bulldogs have to break in a new quarterback — former four-star recruit Carson Beck won the job — but still have the most talented top-to-bottom roster in the country, led by do-it-all tight end Brock Bowers.
2. Michigan
2022 record: 13-1, 9-0 Big Ten (lost in College Football Playoff semifinals)
Coach: Jim Harbaugh (ninth year)
In a sentence: If anyone can challenge Georgia, it might be the Wolverines, who, according to Harbaugh, could have a record 20 players drafted in 2024 and also have something many of the serious contenders lack — a returning starting quarterback (J.J. McCarthy).
LSU linebacker Harold Perkins Jr., right, shown during a game against Texas A&M on Nov. 26, 2022, might be the best defensive player in America.
3. LSU
2022 record: 10-4, 6-2 SEC
Coach: Brian Kelly (second year)
In a sentence: Former ASU star Jayden Daniels might be the best quarterback in the SEC, linebacker Harold Perkins might be the best defensive player in the country and the surging Tigers — not Alabama — are the team to beat in the rugged SEC West.
4. Ohio State
2022 record: 11-2, 8-1 Big Ten (lost in CFP semifinals)
Coach: Ryan Day (fifth year)
In a sentence: The notion that Day — who’s 45-6 and came within a missed field goal of knocking off Georgia and likely winning last season’s national championship — is on the hot seat is preposterous, but such is the life of the Ohio State head coach when you lose to Michigan two years in a row.
5. Alabama
2022 record: 11-2, 6-2 SEC
Coach: Nick Saban (17th year)
In a sentence: It feels blasphemous to rank the Crimson Tide this low, and Saban’s crew probably will prove us wrong despite losing the No. 1 (QB Bryce Young) and No. 3 (DE Will Anderson) picks in this year’s NFL draft.
6. Penn State
2022 record: 11-2, 7-2
Coach: James Franklin (10th year)
In a sentence: With elite running backs, a veteran offensive line and a star-studded defense, the Nittany Lions have the personnel to finally vault past Michigan and Ohio State in the Big Ten — if former five-star QB Drew Allar can build off his promising freshman season (four touchdowns, zero interceptions in 10 relief appearances).
USC quarterback Caleb Williams, shown scrambling away from the Arizona defense during their Oct. 29, 2022, game in Tucson, is seeking to become the first back-to-back Heisman Trophy winner in nearly 50 years.
7. USC
2022 record: 11-3, 8-1 Pac-12 (1-0 so far in 2023)
Coach: Lincoln Riley (second year)
In a sentence: In their last year as members of the Pac-12, the Trojans are the best bet to end the league’s CFP drought with Heisman Trophy winner and projected No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams leading the way — and three former Arizona starters (WR Dorian Singer, DT Kyon Barrs, DB Christian-Roland Wallace) slated for meaningful roles.
8. Florida State
2022 record: 10-3, 5-2 SEC
Coach: Mike Norvell (fourth year)
In a sentence: They might not be happy in the ACC, but the Seminoles are on the verge of dethroning Clemson as kings of the conference thanks to standout quarterback Jordan Travis and the formidable pass-rush duo of Jared Verse (nine sacks last season) and Patrick Payton (five sacks, named ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year).
9. Washington
2022 record: 11-2, 7-2 Pac-12
Coach: Kalen DeBoer (second year)
In a sentence: The Huskies bring back most of the key pieces from last season’s 11-win team — including QB Michael Penix Jr., all three starting receivers and leading sacker Bralen Trice — and they’re going to need repeat performances and maybe more to navigate a schedule that, unlike last year, now includes USC and Utah.
10. Clemson
2022 record: 11-3, 8-0 ACC
Coach: Dabo Swinney (16th year)
In a sentence: Swinney has built the program to the point where an 11-3 season was considering disappointing; this year’s Tigers — featuring promising QB Cade Klubnik, star RB Will Shipley, former TCU offensive coordinator Garrett Riley and a veteran defense — have the potential to surpass last year’s group.
11. Texas
2022 record: 8-5, 6-3 Big 12
Coach: Steve Sarkisian (third year)
In a sentence: With almost everyone back on offense — aside from Tucson product-turned-first-round pick Bijan Robinson — expectations are high for the long-underachieving Longhorns, who have by far the best team in the Big 12 on paper but haven’t won the conference they’re about to leave since 2009.
12. Tennessee
2022 record: 11-2, 6-2 SEC
Coach: Josh Heupel (third year)
In a sentence: New starting QB Joe Milton quietly posted a 10-0 touchdown-to-interception ratio in relief of the departed Hendon Hooker under Heupel, who’s fast becoming college football’s premier quarterback whisperer.
13. Utah
2022 record: 10-4, 7-2 Pac-12
Coach: Kyle Whittingham (19th year)
In a sentence: The infrastructure Whittingham has built in Salt Lake City will be tested while veteran QB Cameron Rising continues to rehab a knee injury that could sideline him early in the season; with or without him, it’s a mistake to underestimate the physical, fundamentally sound Utes.
Notre Dame has a new quarterback in Sam Hartman, right, who arrives in South Bend after a prolific career at Wake Forest.
14. Notre Dame
2022 record: 9-4 (1-0 so far in 2023)
Coach: Marcus Freeman (second year)
In a sentence: The Fighting Irish had one of the weirdest seasons ever in 2022, losing at home to Marshall and Stanford while defeating North Carolina, BYU, Clemson and South Carolina; transfer QB Sam Hartman, via Wake Forest, will provide much-needed consistency and productivity when the schedule cranks up in late September.
15. Oregon
2022 record: 10-3, 7-2 Pac-12
Coach: Dan Lanning (second year)
In a sentence: Even with a rebuilt offensive line and without offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham, who’s now the head coach at ASU, the Ducks should have a prolific offense; the question is whether they can get enough stops to compete for the title in the high-octane Pac-12.
16. Kansas State
2022 record: 10-4, 7-2 Big 12
Coach: Chris Klieman (fifth year)
In a sentence: These Wildcats have become the Utah-esque bullies of the Big 12 under Klieman; they lose star tailback Deuce Vaughn but return QB Will Howard and their entire starting offensive line from a team that knocked off eventual national runner-up TCU in the conference championship game.
17. Oregon State
2022 record: 10-3, 6-3 Pac-12
Coach: Jonathan Smith (sixth year)
In a sentence: Conference realignment left the Bears without a Power Five home but turned them into America’s Team entering the final year of the Pac-12; they can make a legitimate run for the league title if Smith can help transfer quarterback DJ Uiagalelei resurrect his career.
Texas A&M hed coach Jimbo Fisher and the Aggies have underachieved during his tenure; he has a lower winning percentage (.650) than predecessor Kevin Sumlin (.662)
18. Texas A&M
2022 record: 5-7, 2-6 SEC
Coach: Jimbo Fisher (sixth year)
In a sentence: Fisher hasn’t lived up to his $95 million contract — posting a lower winning percentage (.650) than predecessor and former Arizona coach Kevin Sumlin (.662) — but the roster is still loaded, and there’s hope that new OC Bobby Petrino can turn around the offense.
19. Wisconsin
2022 record: 7-6, 4-5 Big Ten
Coach: Luke Fickell (first year)
In a sentence: Fickell is a proven commodity, one of the best coaches in the business, but there’s no guarantee the massive changes taking hold in Madison — including a version of the Air Raid offense and a defense coordinated by someone other than Jim Leonhard — will click right away.
20. TCU
2022 record: 13-2, 9-0 Big 12 (lost in CFP final)
Coach: Sonny Dykes (second year)
In a sentence: Last season’s magical run has positioned TCU as a top-tier team in the Big 12 moving forward, especially after Oklahoma and Texas depart; that said, it’ll be difficult for the Horned Frogs to replicate their good fortune (6-1 record in one-score games) without QB Max Duggan and WR Quentin Johnston.
Mississippi running back Quinshon Judkins was named to The Associated Press Preseason All-America Team after rushing for 1,567 yards and 16 touchdowns as a true freshman.
21. Ole Miss
2022 record: 8-5, 4-4 SEC
Coach: Lane Kiffin (fourth year)
In a sentence: The Rebels have one of the best running backs in the nation in sophomore Quinshon Judkins and, per usual, a roster full of talented transfers; they also have a brutal schedule that includes a non-conference game at Tulane, an Alabama-LSU back-to-back and an SEC crossover contest at Georgia.
22. Kentucky
2022 record: 7-6, 3-5 SEC
Coach: Mark Stoops (11th year)
In a sentence: Stoops has done a masterful job of turning the ultimate “basketball school” into a consistent winner on the gridiron — six above-.500 finishes in the past seven seasons — and his latest team has significant upside with Liam Cohen returning as OC and Devin Leary transferring in to replace Will Levis at quarterback.
23. UCLA
2022 record: 9-4, 6-3 Pac-12
Coach: Chip Kelly (sixth year)
In a sentence: The strength of this Bruins team might be its defensive front, led by returning sack artist Laiatu Latu; its overall success could hinge on the development of five-star freshman QB Dante Moore, who’s been engaged in a three-way battle for the starting job.
24. Oklahoma
2022 record: 6-7, 3-6 Big 12
Coach: Brent Venables (second year)
In a sentence: The Sooners’ spot in the Top 25 is based largely on program pedigree and partly on the notion that the defense can’t possibly be this bad again under Venables, whose specialty is that side of the ball; if that unit falters again, Oklahoma could have a new coach in Year One in the SEC.
25. Tulane
2022 record: 12-2, 7-1 AAC
Coach: Willie Fritz (ninth year)
In a sentence: The Green Wave have a case for an even higher ranking with standout QB Michael Pratt and most of the offensive line returning; regardless, they’re the best Group of Five team out there and clear favorites in a conference that no longer includes Cincinnati, Houston and UCF.
USC QB Caleb Williams, who won the Heisman last year, is the odds-on favorite heading into this season
