AP poll: USC No. 1, five SEC teams in top 10, UGA No. 6
The SEC has five teams in the top 10 of the Associated Press preseason college football poll -– but not the No. 1 team.
USC, entering its third season under coach Lane Kiffin and its first back from an NCAA-imposed two-year postseason ban, got the top ranking in the media vote released Saturday.
Alabama and LSU, the SEC teams that met in last season’s BCS title game, were ranked Nos. 2 and 3, respectively. Other SEC teams in the top 10 were No. 6 Georgia, No. 9 South Carolina and No. 10 Arkansas. Georgia’s ranking is the highest for the Bulldogs since September 2008.
Georgia Tech received poll votes but was not ranked in the top 25.
LSU’s dismissal of star cornerback/punt returner Tyrann Mathieu from the team on Aug. 10 –- reportedly for failed drug tests -– enabled USC to move to the top of the poll. Because of Mathieu’s impact, the AP extended the voting deadline and allowed voters to amend their ballots.
Before Mathieu was kicked off the team, LSU had received 28 first-place votes, USC 22 and Alabama nine, AP reported. But in the poll released Saturday, USC had 25 first-place votes, Alabama 17 and LSU 16.
One AP voter who changed his ballot was Seth Emerson of The Macon Telegraph. Emerson said Saturday that he originally had LSU No. 1 but dropped the Tigers to No. 3, putting Alabama No. 1 and USC No. 2.
“I was in the Georgia Dome,” Emerson said, pointing to Mathieu’s two long punt returns in last season’s SEC Championship game victory over Georgia. “I saw the effect that had.
“Even without Mathieu,” Emerson added, “there is a clear separation between the top three teams and the rest.”
LSU was ranked No. 1 in the USA Today coaches’ preseason poll, which was announced before Mathieu’s dismissal. Alabama was No. 2 and USC No. 3 in that poll.
In the AP poll, USC totaled 1,445 points, Alabama 1,411 and LSU 1,402. Oklahoma and Oregon completed the top five, in that order. Oklahoma and No. 8 Michigan received one first-place vote apiece.
The AP poll, unlike the coaches’, is not part of the BCS formula that determines who plays in the national title game.
Georgia’s No. 6 ranking was the same in both polls.
“I would’ve predicted us not to be quite as high in [the AP] poll, but it’s good that people feel that way about us,” coach Mark Richt said Saturday. “We all know it doesn’t mean a lot other than you’re starting in a spot where, if you take care of business, you have a chance to stay up there. . . . We know we’ve got a long way to go and a lot to prove.
“… We want to be well thought of,” Richt added. “Have we earned it this year? No. But I guess from everybody’s evaluation of who’s returning and all that type of thing they feel like we’ve got a chance.”
Said UGA tailback-fullback Richard Samuel: “We don’t feel any pressure from [the high ranking]. In the long run, [the coaches' poll] helps us at the end of the season when it comes time to decide who gets to go to the national championship. So we just look at it like that, but we also know that we’ve got to take it game by game to get there. … I really do believe in our guys. We have a really wonderful, amazing team. We had some victories last year and a couple of games we have to learn how to finish.”
Georgia Tech was sixth in the others-receiving-votes category.
Asked if he would use being unranked as motivation, Tech coach Paul Johnson said: “No. Probably won’t talk about it.”
Said Tech center Jay Finch: “I think that’s right where we should be, because, to be honest, I like starting outside where nobody’s suspecting anything. But if you keep winning, you keep going up.”
In all, the SEC placed six teams in the AP’s top 25 –- the five in the top 10 plus Florida, which was ranked No. 23 despite a 7-6 (3-5 SEC) record last season.
The Big 12 also put six teams in the top 25 but only one in the top 10. The Big Ten had five teams ranked, one in the top 10. The Pac-12 and ACC had three teams apiece in the poll — two and one, respectively, in the top 10.
The ranked ACC teams included No. 7 Florida State, No. 14 Clemson (which opens the season against Auburn in a Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game at the Georgia Dome on Sept. 1) and No. 16 Virginia Tech.
– Tim Tucker of the AJC, with contributions from Chip Towers at Georgia and Ken Sugiura at Georgia Tech.
ASSOCIATED PRESS POLL
Team(first place votes) 2011 record Points Pv
1.Southern Cal(25) 10-2 1,445 6
2.Alabama(17) 12-1 1,411 1
3. LSU (16) 13-1 1,402 2
4.Oklahoma(1) 10-3 1,286 16
5.Oregon 12-2 1,274 4
6.Georgia 10-4 1,107 19
7. Florida St. 9-4 1,093 23
8.Michigan(1) 11-2 1,000 12
9.South Carolina 11-2 994 9
10.Arkansas 11-2 963 5
11.West Virginia 10-3 856 17
12.Wisconsin 11-3 838 10
13. Michigan St. 11-3 742 11
14. Clemson 10-4 615 22
15.Texas 8-5 569 NR
16. Virginia Tech 11-3 548 21
17.Nebraska 9-4 485 24
18. Ohio St. 6-7 474 NR
19. Oklahoma St. 12-1 430 3
20. TCU 11-2 397 14
21. Stanford 11-2 383 7
22. Kansas St. 10-3 300 15
23.Florida 7-6 214 NR
24. Boise St. 12-1 212 8
25.Louisville 7-6 105 NR
Others receiving votes: Notre Dame 83, Washington 55, Auburn 53, North Carolina 32, Utah 30, Georgia Tech 25, BYU 22, Tennessee 15, South Florida 11, Baylor 9, Texas A&M 5, UCF 4, Cincinnati 3, Missouri 3, N.C. State 3, Houston 1, Louisiana Tech 1, Mississippi St. 1, N. Illinois 1.
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476 comments Add your comment
No. 1 Braves Fan
August 18th, 2012
11:34 am
Trey: Go have another cup of coffee and wake up before you post any
more errors about GT. First, this is only a top 25 not a top 50 ranking.
Second, if you had been able to read correctly, they received points
that would have ranked them in the top 50. Good grief!!
Destin Dawg
August 18th, 2012
11:35 am
Muschamp is over his head in his 1st H.C. job.. Texas did not do well when he was Coordinator.. #23 rank is about right.. they could easily lose 4 or 5 and FSU is way UP this year
Ralph
August 18th, 2012
11:36 am
Has UGA ever lived up to their inflated expectations?
Suspensions and jail will get in their way almost as much as undisciplined penalties during play. Thugs.
oldfart
August 18th, 2012
11:37 am
I was raised to believe that crime doesn’t pay yet Lane Kiffin and USC go in at No. 1. At least Los Angeles still has professional football.
LetMeGet A Towel Honey
August 18th, 2012
11:37 am
Welcome Tampa Gator
PennGeorgiaND State
August 18th, 2012
11:38 am
Truth is beginning to flood the UGA blog!
LetMeGet A Towel Honey
August 18th, 2012
11:38 am
@ lmao….love the Herschel towel comment…bravo
Bud
August 18th, 2012
11:47 am
South C gets 3 top 10 teams
Florida gets 4 top 10 teams.
LSU gets 3 top 10 teams.
Bama gets 3 top 10 teams.
Georgia plays 1 top 10 team.
I like Bama to win the West, and Georgia to win the East. I got Georgia winning that game. Georgia’s unit are better everywhere over Bama from QB, RB, WR, DLine, LB, DB’s.
Georgia playing USC for the big one. And winning that one.
USC only plays 1 top 10 team, so does Georgia.
Augusta dawg
August 18th, 2012
11:53 am
Inspire of how we all feel can you believe Dawgs kick off in 2 weeks and 8 minutes! GATA. And did I say, “It’s great to be a Georgia Bulldog…I said it’s great to be a Georgia bulldog!” Can’t wait.
Bud
August 18th, 2012
11:54 am
LSU has a bunch of issues:
1- No Honeybadger
2- No experience at QB
3- WR’s are weak
4- LB’s are weak
5- Schedule–Bama, Ark, SC, Fla
Ralph
August 18th, 2012
11:54 am
UGA has played in 6 consecutive minor bowls. Look for them to extend that streak, and also extend their last two minor bowl losses to three.
It simply doesn’t matter who wins the weak Eastern division. They will get embarrassed yet again in the conference championship game.
Augusta dawg
August 18th, 2012
12:00 pm
Ranking will shuffle as the season goes on and things change from year to year so before we say Georgia has a soft schedule let’s have the season pan out. We still have tough games and if we make it through and win in Atlanta at the dome then we will earn it. Let the haters hate. USC plays no one, FSU plays no one, michigan only plays bama and will get crushed, and the sooners are hurting themselves like we used to. They have 5 suspensions already but I thought that only happened in Athens according to the trolls.
LetMeGet A Towel Honey
August 18th, 2012
12:01 pm
Augusta dawg is Damn Good Dawg! In spite of it all, the season is almost here!
Bud
August 18th, 2012
12:03 pm
1st year coordinators get smoked in the SEC.
Florida has a 1st Year Off Coor.
South C has a 1st year Def Coor.
Georgia’s staff continuity, and the schedule, will be the difference this year in the East.
The Georgia team is also just very good on both sides of the ball. Georgia’s units (QB, RB, WR, Dline, LB’s, DB’s) are top 5 in the country.
Only things that could derail season are Oline, Sp Teams & Turnover Margin in big games. Can Georgia fix those issues? If yes, 14-0, if not, 9-4.
LetMeGet A Towel Honey
August 18th, 2012
12:03 pm
How about Boise St @ Michigan St Friday August 31. Could be a good one to watch
HoneyBadger Has the Munchies
August 18th, 2012
12:05 pm
Go Dawgs! Get past Missouri and things could be great
Ralph
August 18th, 2012
12:07 pm
Gangbangers wearing UGA colors, UGA flags flying in trailer parks, and Dawg stickers on rusted out pick-up trucks make Mark Richt proud. It also points him to lucrative recruiting sites. Is there and “Ex-cons for UGA” Facebook page?
Bud
August 18th, 2012
12:11 pm
South Carolina has a tough schedule with 3 top 10 teams, weak at OLine, QB, and WR, besides Lattimore, offense is weak. And their DB’s are horrendous. And they have a 1st year Def Coor.
Florida has tough schedule with 4 top 10 teams, weak at QB, RB, WR, and have a new 1st Year Off Coor. Just nothing on offense.
Beast from the East
August 18th, 2012
12:12 pm
Interesting to see what teams are ranked, but it will be totally different by the end of the season. Only 2 more weeks until we see what our teams are made of.
Go Gators!
Badland Dawg
August 18th, 2012
12:18 pm
I got UGA with a BIG L to Missou//S C//FL Missou is going to give a lesson in football to UGA….UGA never can put there best 11 on the field at the same time……..
Son of Sammy Davis Jr, Jr
August 18th, 2012
12:18 pm
There is no way JawGA, MissAgain, and Flaw-Duh St should be ranked above South Carolina. By the time December gets here JawGA fans will be looking forward to spring football.
Bad Dawg
August 18th, 2012
12:18 pm
I’m sorry but my dawgs at #6 is a joke. This team has yet to prove anything on the field. Even Mark Richt himself thinks UGA is ranked too high. Also Oklahoma, Florida State, Clemson, TCU and Virginia Tech are too high. Boise State and Kansas State should be ranked higher because of superior scheme and coaching. I think UGA should be around 16-20.
DawginLex
August 18th, 2012
12:19 pm
Ralph is an idiot
The sugar bowl a minor bowl???
Bud
August 18th, 2012
12:26 pm
Keys to winning Georgia’s Big 5 games:
Mizzou: Stop the pass and you win this one.
SC: Stop the run, and you win this one. Throw it to beat their weak secondary.
UF: Don’t beat yourself w/ turnovers/sp teams, these guys can’t score on offense.
Aub: Throw that ball deep, we’re talking Willie Martinez here, go deep.
GT: Run the ball against weak front 7, play keep away.
bamaguy
August 18th, 2012
12:30 pm
The SEC team that plays USC (west) for the national championship will win. The only way the SEC dominance ends is for us to beat each other and have no undefeated team at the end of the year.
HoneyBadger Has the Munchies
August 18th, 2012
12:32 pm
@ Bud….I must agree with your 5 excellent points for winning the 5 big games.
HoneyBadger Has the Munchies
August 18th, 2012
12:36 pm
@ Bud…lets not forget Mizz QB ablility to run the football well. Franklin is a beast
kingdaddy
August 18th, 2012
12:36 pm
Shouldn’t you Tech-nerd-frat boys come out of the library for a little while? Y’all all meet up at the computers and post togeather pretending to be anybody but a nerd frat-rat, lol. Losers feel safer in numbers. All the polls can’t be wrong! UGA must be doing something right and it’s eating you bugs and other pest alive. It is just preseason, so it’s no big deal till we play some games. Still, all you Dog-haters need to go enjoy the sunshine and quit wasting your time on the library computers posting hate for UGA. Here’s an idea, why don’t you post about your own program for a little while. I know UGAs much more interesting, but give it a try…
HoneyBadger Has the Munchies
August 18th, 2012
12:37 pm
Franklin accounted for 13 rushing td’s last year……and 20 passing for Mizz
HoneyBadger Has the Munchies
August 18th, 2012
12:38 pm
LIKE kingdaddy
PennGeorgiaND State
August 18th, 2012
12:49 pm
Lex, it is a minor bowl if your opponent is Hawaii.
dreammaker
August 18th, 2012
12:53 pm
university of georgia….overated school in an overated southern redneck poorly planned hamlet call Athens with an overated faux christian coach..with an overated football team that falls short year after year..that is only interested in blacks at thier school if they have a ball in their hands for thier saturday afternoon entertainment…somethings never change
GT is a 4th rate High School Team
August 18th, 2012
12:57 pm
I am glad that a lot of UGA fans are no longer supporting these AJC BLOGS that full of crap from fans of GT and WANNABE football teams.
wreckmaniac
August 18th, 2012
12:57 pm
Richt has managed to sucker the pollsters once again, No way this is a top 10 team but it may not be evident until the SEC championship game if the dwags get that far. UGA will end up in its customary 15-20 position.
whatfor
August 18th, 2012
12:57 pm
The reason why the SEC is so dominant is that most of the recruits couldn’t make it in a college with academic standards (with the exception of Vandy). SEC teams will take anyone who at least knows what 2+2 equals – just look at the roster of the players, where they are from, and what their majors are. Most of the majors are so watered down – just so you get a kid from the hood to play football – it’s a shame.
wreckmaniac
August 18th, 2012
12:59 pm
After beating Buffalo 52-0 the dwags will be ranked first
Poopdawg
August 18th, 2012
1:01 pm
I hate to admit this but I’m pulling for ND twice this year. They play USC and OKlahoma. So I hope ND is 2- 10. GO DAWGS!
Steve
August 18th, 2012
1:04 pm
Wreckmaniac will Tech be losing bowl game number 7 in a row? That’s customary for them right? Just like losing to UGA annually? Oh, and I thought you nerds were supposed to be smart? Not sure what dwags means.
Lomax
August 18th, 2012
1:06 pm
…on to something important. Will Georgia break out those groovy uniforms they wore against Boise St. again this year. I’m thinking they need another shot.
oknow
August 18th, 2012
1:09 pm
The ONLY reason UGA is #6 is their powder-puff schedule – who do they REALLY play?? The only team they play who may be really good is South Carolina – besides them, the rest are laughable teams (Buff, GS, GT, Fl-AT (you have got to be kidding me), KY, Vandy, and Missouri) or has beens (Tenn, FL, and Auburn). So stop kidding yourselves – I, with ZERO coaching experience, could take UGA to AT LEAST 10-2 – with hardly breaking a sweat.
I like to see what would happen to the puppies if they played teams like AL, LSU or USC, etc – we all know what would happen – UGA would LOSS – as they do every time they play a really good team.
Poopdawg
August 18th, 2012
1:10 pm
What for, it’s a shame to know there are people like you Yankee boy.
Poopdawg
August 18th, 2012
1:10 pm
Enter your comments here
Steve
August 18th, 2012
1:15 pm
Really OKNOW? Who do they play? Vandy is a bowl team, AU is ranked in some polls, UF is ranked, GT is ranked in some polls, SC is highly ranked. Guess what else? Since you know nothing about college football, UGA has no control over their SEC schedule little man. Do me a favor and look at the cupcake teams other SEC teams are playing as well. What a moron.
kingdaddy
August 18th, 2012
1:15 pm
I love NCAA football. I love the upsets. I like it when the bad guys lose, and I love to hear coaches like Spurrier cry like a little girl. I like the underdawg. I want to see Vandy demolish the chickens. I would say the same about Michigan beating Bama, except I absolutely hate Michigan and like Bama. Yeah I said it, it’s the majority of the Bama tools posting in the AJC I can’t stand. Be honest folks, Bama brings relevancy to the SEC. So does LSU, AUBURN, UT, & UF. …UGA on the other hand, must, must, must rise to the next level this year. 1980 was a long time ago. Did you hear me? Do you want to be known for #34 , or do you want people to remember Jarvis, & Corn, & M.M, & Aaron Murray, Marshal&Gurley??? I want Coach Mark Richt to develope this 2012 team to it’s maximum potential. ENOUGH watching another SEC SCHOOL BRING RELEVANCY TO THE SEC! IT IS OUR TURN AND WE HAVE TO DEMAND IT FROM OUR COACHES…NO MORE BEING OUT-COACHED, NO MORE FOLLOWING. IT’S TIME TO BE THE LEAD-DAWG, CAUSE IF YOU AREN’T THE LEAD-DAWG, THE SCENERY ALL LOOKS THE SAME…
Steve
August 18th, 2012
1:20 pm
Cupcakes:
UF – Bowling Green, Louisiana, Jacksonville State
Missouri – SE Louisiana, UCF, Syracuse
SC – East Carolina, UAB, Wooford
UT – GA State, Akron, Troy
Bama – Western KY, Florida Atlantic, Western Carolina
Arkansas – Jacksonville State, ULM, Rutgers, Tulsa
AU – ULM, New Mexico State, Alabama A&M
LSU – North Texas, Idaho, Towson
It’s ONLY UGA who plays cupcakes huh?
Bad Dawg
August 18th, 2012
1:26 pm
UGA is not the only team the plays cupcakes but this year the schedule is very weak on paper outside of South Carolina.
hind tit
August 18th, 2012
1:27 pm
USC just came off two year punishment and are ranked number one. Boy that NCAA are really on top of things.
Red Stick
August 18th, 2012
1:28 pm
Steve
August 18th, 2012
1:20 pm
“Cupcakes:
LSU – North Texas, Idaho, Towson
It’s ONLY UGA who plays cupcakes huh?”
LSU played 8 top 25 teams during the regular season last year including Oregon and West Va away from Death Valley. I think we earned the right to play the 3 rental wins this season.
Geaux Tigers
Go SEC
Steve
August 18th, 2012
1:29 pm
Bad Dawg, UGA can’t help that they don’t plsy Arkansas, LSU, or Bama. Just like SC can’t help that they do.
Bad Dawg
August 18th, 2012
1:31 pm
Also if you guys knew anything about USC. You would know that are a legit title contender this year. Their offense will be outstanding and the only team that should challenge them in the Pac 12 is Oregon. Not to mention Lane Kiffin is a very good head coach.