SI unveils its Top 25. A tip: Don’t bother looking for Georgia
Why, even South Carolina gets a regional cover shout-out. (Photo courtesy of Sports Illustrated)
Sports Illustrated’s college football issue should be arriving in your mailbox any moment. (I’d be out checking mine as we speak if, for the first time since 1968, I hadn’t let my subscription lapse.) But for those who can’t wait, here are the highlights:
Seven SEC teams are included in SI’s Top 25. Georgia isn’t among them.
Alabama and LSU are in the top three. (The Tide is SI’s No. 1 pick, which makes sense given that the magazine declared Alabama a dynasty back in January 2010, whereupon Bama went out and finished fourth in the SEC West.) South Carolina and Arkansas are in the top 10. Mississippi State, Auburn and Florida are ranked between 21st and 25th.
Georgia is nowhere, man.
I’m not trying to suggest I’m smarter than the folks at SI. (I’m not smarter than anyone anywhere.) But I should report that I’ve been asked to compile the Top 25 for the ol’ AJC’s college football preview, and – spoiler alert! – I can attest that the Bulldogs are included. (Auburn, FYI, is not.) I have an SEC team ranked No. 1, but it’s not Alabama.
I can understand why some publications – the Sporting News is another – don’t believe Georgia will be a Top 25 team. On Jan. 1, 2011, I wouldn’t have, either. But I believe the dynamics have changed. I believe the Bulldogs will have a very big year. And I’m never wrong. Except for all those times when I am.
By Mark Bradley
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
283 comments Add your comment
Mike
August 17th, 2011
12:18 pm
No one puts any stock into the accuracy of the early rankings – and for good reason – they are never correct at the end of the year. Never even close. Unfortunately they do mean something, in fact quite a bit. The lower the ranking, the further a break-out team ahs to climb the ladder to get to the BCS. Drop a game along the way and it can be impossible. Ranked teams are featured far more often in media than un-ranked teams – see S.I., The Sporting News, etc. In S.I., since UGA did not finish in the top 25, they were not featured at all in their “College Football Team Pages” displayed every day since the end of last season. This means no exposure. This means the top recruits could be looking elsewhere. No one likes it. Rankings mean little in terms of how good a team is this time of year, but exposure means a great deal.
Patrick Romano WAR DAMN EAGLE
August 17th, 2011
12:22 pm
SI, what a joke about pre-season polling. Exact reason I DO NOT have a subscription until February when the Swimsuit comes out!!! Ya’ll keep overlooking my defending NC Auburn Tigers. Where were they ranked in preseason polls this time last yr.?
Exactly, WDE nothing measn poop until Jan, 10 or if they keep pushing it back for more primetime revenues…
God Bless, WDE!
5150 UOAD
August 17th, 2011
12:25 pm
Play some games before the polls come out.
Bradley is a Bulldog Humper Homer
August 17th, 2011
12:26 pm
Hey Mark, you are a typical Thuga Homer who expects the Dawgs to win the National Championship every year. I guess Sports Illustrated thinks you are crazy.
TOM
August 17th, 2011
12:26 pm
preseason rankings are dumb. shouldn’t be one until week 3-4
2smartjones
August 17th, 2011
12:27 pm
Exclude Auburn at your own peril, Bradley!
Just sayin…
WDE!!!
BobDawg
August 17th, 2011
12:28 pm
I have no idea where or how good UGA will be this year… All I know is I’m ready to see the product on the field and the schedule will take care of itself… If I were a betting man I see us starting slow and coming on strong towards the end of the year….
Brett
August 17th, 2011
12:29 pm
Hey Mike, you idiot!
8 wins > 6
UF beat you. Get a clue.
cantondawg
August 17th, 2011
12:32 pm
Alabama will lose at least three games again this year. Saban’s demonic coaching ways will really start to wear on the players and continue their downward spiral into mediocrity. I said last year that they would lose 3 games when people predicted them to be #1.
Jeff T
August 17th, 2011
12:32 pm
Did Uga beat any of those “ranked” sec teams last year? Nope. So why should they be ranked? Uga has the dumbest fans on the planet.
ANTOINEFORD
August 17th, 2011
12:33 pm
I saw Alshon this summer at a pool party and his chest and abs looked carved from granite.
78 DAWG
August 17th, 2011
12:34 pm
Ranking don’t matter, unless were in em then they are really important and prove whose really good, like in 2008.
FireRicht
August 17th, 2011
12:34 pm
We got it, Georgia is a middle of the road team…thank you Richt for destroying a national prominent program.
Mac Daddy24
August 17th, 2011
12:35 pm
Every year, the only people who think UGA should be in the top 25 are people from Georgia. You guys haven’t been relevant since 1980- 30 years ago. Have a good 8-4 season.
Joe
August 17th, 2011
12:36 pm
ahahahahahhaha….Chickens on the cover…..the jinx will prevail…….who cares where UGA is pre-season……what matters is at the end……love being under the radar
jesus gave it all, mark richt cant give 4 quarters.
August 17th, 2011
12:36 pm
ranked #1 by SI “Yeah…we will run the table and play for the BCS Title”
not ranked by SI: “Those idiots don’t know what they are doing…we’re gonna win the SEC!”
the chicago cub fans of the SEC have spoken…..let’s go cubs!!!!!!!!
ANTOINEFORD
August 17th, 2011
12:36 pm
Also saw Clowney wearing a wife beater at a barbecue over the 4th, and yes, he is a physical specimen, every inch the garnet god we heard about.
The Best Team We've Beaten Since 2007?
August 17th, 2011
12:36 pm
The only win we’ve had since 2007 against any good team was Tech in 2009.
Bilbo
August 17th, 2011
12:37 pm
Haven’t read that fishwrapper since 1980 when they picked UGA sixth in the ten team SEC. Slightly underrated for a NC team. Same year SI predicted the Falcons to finish 4 and 12. They wound up 12 and 4 and should have made the Super Bowl. But my how we love to waste our time on these prediction amusements.
Joe
August 17th, 2011
12:38 pm
Mac Daddy……who would be your team???? Floriduh? they were not relivant for 50 years in the SEC…..Barn? HA! Bama? Louisiana Monroe? what was the record in early 2000… Please let us in?
The Best Team We've Beaten Since 2007?
August 17th, 2011
12:39 pm
Yes, Richt destroyed all Goff and Donnan built!?
2smartjones
August 17th, 2011
12:39 pm
Why are so many guys here gawking at teenage guys in wife beaters and barbeques this summer???
Joe
August 17th, 2011
12:41 pm
Mark is going to have Kentucky ranked number 1
joe
August 17th, 2011
12:42 pm
As usual, only UGA homers and people in this state think UGA has a good team. Everyone else takes a look and sees a team with no OL depth at all (and the starters are suspect), no RB’s at all, no WR’s with any decent experience…and a short QB. D will be ok, but not enough to carry a team who will lose 5 or 6 games and average under 20 pts per game by the end of the year.
Really Joe?
August 17th, 2011
12:43 pm
Ask anyone not a dog fan and they’ll tell you Florida, Alabama, LSU & Auburn are all more respected nationally than Georgia. They’ll also tell you Georgia is about on par with Tennessee and maybe SC.
Ask anyone that is not on this pathetic blog. Try Reality, football doesn’t have to be your entire life.
Joe
August 17th, 2011
12:46 pm
I am assuming that Mac Daddy wrote the Really Joe blog….again, Mac Daddy….WHO is your team?????
Back Room
August 17th, 2011
12:47 pm
cantondawg
August 17th, 2011
12:32 pm
Alabama will lose at least three games again this year. Saban’s demonic coaching ways will really start to wear on the players and continue their downward spiral into mediocrity. I said last year that they would lose 3 games when people predicted them to be #1.
the amazing Kreskin live in Canton. lol…need facts not baseless opinions and make a wish list.
chazzo
August 17th, 2011
12:48 pm
I’m not whining. It is factual. SI flat out never does UGA any favors. Phil Steele, on the other hand, may have a man crush on Richt. He always ranks the Dawgs high and usually lists them as a dark horse. One year he will be right and look brilliant. This year he has the Dawgs ranked 9th. I think I read that right. I guess USA has ‘em in the bottom ten? My magic eight ball says the Dawgs win 11 this year. My common sense says the Dawgs win 10. Where they end up ranked depends on the 10. My wounded heart tells me 9.
Really Mac Daddy......
August 17th, 2011
12:49 pm
Geez….funny you get on a UGA blog telling us how bad we are….yet you cant even man up and let us know what team you support…..must be ashamed of it??? loser
Gdawg
August 17th, 2011
12:49 pm
ANTOINEFORD, the only one weeping about the cocks are you morons. you have one 10 win season in your history. Win some games then come out of the woodwork. Enjoy another nice August day in Columbia! HEHE
Mac Daddy
August 17th, 2011
12:50 pm
Alright…alright…….Tech is my team. I am a die hard Jacket! What can you say about that????
ANTOINEFORD
August 17th, 2011
12:51 pm
Seeing Clowney wearing that wifebeater was the most excited I’ve been since I gave Calvin Johnson a massage.
ANTOINEFORD
August 17th, 2011
12:55 pm
Calvin was that rare breed of athlete that could have easily been a basketball player or male model.
cantondawg
August 17th, 2011
12:59 pm
Herschel Talker,
Talk about someone not having any brain cells. CMR has the fourth best winning % in college football. Has won 2 SECC and finished in the top 10 six years and you want to replace him with Kirby “Benedict”Smart who has won absolutely nothing and turned his back on the Dawgs a few years ago. It’s completely obvious that you are either:
1) A homosexual lover of Kirby “Benedict” Smart or have a mancrush on him
2) You are Kirby “Benedict” Smart himself
1eyedJack
August 17th, 2011
1:01 pm
ANTOINEFORD, were you looking at those guys from between your legs or theirs?
DublDawg
August 17th, 2011
1:03 pm
Who has the SI preseason poll from 2010?
How did the preseason poll match up against the final poll?
Ted M
August 17th, 2011
1:06 pm
I hadn’t let my subscription lapse. Thats like not paying your cable bill!
Anyway, Mark, tell me what you know and feel about UGA’s offensive line. I think it might stink but who am I to say.
cantondawg
August 17th, 2011
1:13 pm
Backroom,
Here are the facts why i think Alabama will lose at least three games.
1) No experience at QB
2) No depth at RB (TR is a stud but i think they wear him out and he gets injured)
3) Tough schedule ( Lose to LSU, Arkansas and Penn State) and maybe one more.
4) No proven big time playmakers at WR since JJ left.
Alabama’s defense will be good but not to overcome an average offense.
Tossed Salad
August 17th, 2011
1:13 pm
When is Alshon’s baby due? I had no idea. Maybe I can attend the shower. Congrats, Cocks. You all must be so proud…
frannie mae
August 17th, 2011
1:17 pm
UGA is in BIG BIG trouble……
Swami Sez
August 17th, 2011
1:20 pm
UGA now takes a back seat to the epitome of a mediocre football program in the South Carolina Gamechickens.
collegeballfan
August 17th, 2011
1:23 pm
” I have an SEC team ranked No. 1, but it’s not Alabama.”
The Volunteers?
Ron Smith
August 17th, 2011
1:24 pm
1. Alabama
2. FSU
3. Oklahoma
4. Oregon
5. LSU
6. Stanford
7. Boise State
8. TCU
9. Nebraska
10. Arkansas
11. Wisconsin
12. South Carolina
17. Michigan St
20. Florida
21. Mississippi St
25. Auburn
36. Georgia
Tide Rising
August 17th, 2011
1:25 pm
cantondawg,
You’re a funny guy.
1- Bama won the bcs title in 2009 with a 1st year starting qb. Secondly if AJ McCarron wins the starting job over 5 star Phillip Sims AJ brings plenty of reps into the season. It is after all his 3rd year in the program. No worries here.
2- No depth at rb. You haven’t watched much Bama football. Eddie Lacy led Bama last year in ypc avg. by averaging a whopping 7.2 yds a carry. He, not Richardson or Ingram, led the tide in rushing in the bowl game with 86 yards including a 62 yard bolt for a td and a 12 yard td run. Lacy is a star in the making and the 1-2 punch at Bama continues.
3- Tough schedule? Your ignorance precedes you. Penn State on the road is not a problem. LSU and Ark who will be our 2 biggest tasks, are both in Tuscaloosa this year.
4- No proven receivers? Surely you jest. Marquis Maze is the fastest player on the team and was just overshadowed by Julio. He would be the no. 1 on most teams if not for Julio. We also have our Darius Hanks back along with a bevy of top wrs who were warming the bench the last 2 years. Watch out for redshirt freshman DeAndrew White who has been lighting it up in practice. We’re stacked at wr.
5- An average offense? Uh-huh. With 4 of 5 offensive lineman returning and the top O-line prospect in the country possibly winning the lone open spot- 6′6 322 lb 5 star Cyrus Kuandjio. We’re loaded everywhere else on offense. Oh, one last thing. We won’t be playing 6 consecutive SEC opponents coming off bye weeks to play us with 2 weeks of preparation and practice.
Get ready. Its coming. Not only do you know it but you know you can’t stop this freight train.
Bob
August 17th, 2011
1:27 pm
Nice how SI air-brushed the work release ankle braclet from Garcia.
Will
August 17th, 2011
1:28 pm
Does anyone have any information on how badly our RB’s are hurt?? Folks, we are playing a game in 2 weeks and Samuel has a quad injury and Crowell has a groin. I would imagine those are bad for RB’s to come back from. Thomas is suspended so I guess that leaves us with Malcolm and Hartline.
I always thought getting rid of Ealey was a bad idea and that is going to be proven. Samuel cannot stay healthy and Crowell has had the same cronic groin that kept him out of AA HSF.
Surely this staff has moved some bodies around just to take reps????
Get Real
August 17th, 2011
1:30 pm
Yeah, I remember just a few years back when UGA was ranked #1 at the start of the season. We all know how that finished out. 31 years since a championship. Even GT has had one since then. Get real folks, you ain’t that good.
1eyedJack
August 17th, 2011
1:33 pm
GT had half a one.
1eyedJack
August 17th, 2011
1:34 pm
From a defunct organization.
Bard of Avon
August 17th, 2011
1:36 pm
I noticed that DawginLex was first on two blogs today. It must be nice to be laid off with nothing else to do.
Whatever. Boise State 37, Georgia 17. One week later, we’ll end the dream team crap when USC puts a huge beatdown on the hapless dumb dogs. They’ll be so demoralized that Israel Troupe will be peeing all over the place. Mark Richt will join him in his farewell to Athens.