Bulldogs finish with Top 5 rankings in both polls
The Georgia Bulldogs finished with a Top 5 ranking in both The Associated Press and coaches’ final polls released early Tuesday. But the Bulldogs remained behind Notre Dame, which lost to Alabama 42-14 in the BCS national championship game Monday night.
Georgia (12-2) finished in a tie for fifth with Texas A&M in the AP poll, which is a compilation of media votes. Notre Dame (12-1) was fourth. The Bulldogs were fourth in the USA Today coaches’ poll, one spot behind the Fighting Irish.
This represents the third time under coach Mark Richt the Bulldogs’ have closed out a season with a Top 5 ranking. They were No. 2 in 2007 and No. 3 in 2002. It’s Georgia’s sixth Top 10 final ranking under Richt, including 2003 (7), 2004 (7), 2005 (10) and 2008 (10). It’s the 18th time overall UGA has finished ranked among the AP top 10.
Alabama secured its third BCS title in the last four years Monday night in Miami to finish No. 1. Oregon (12-1) was second in both polls and Ohio State was ranked third in the AP, despite being on NCAA probation and ineligible for postseason play or conference championships.
Following are the complete polls:
ASSOCIATED PRESS TOP 25
Record Pts Pv
1. Alabama (59) 13-1 1,475 2
2. Oregon 12-1 1,358 5
3. Ohio St. 12-0 1,302 3
4. Notre Dame 12-1 1,288 1
5. Georgia 12-2 1,230 6
5. Texas A&M 11-2 1,230 10
7. Stanford 12-2 1,169 8
8. South Carolina 11-2 1,038 11
9. Florida 11-2 933 4
10. Florida St. 12-2 922 13
11. Clemson 11-2 889 14
12. Kansas St. 11-2 871 7
13. Louisville 11-2 781 22
14. LSU 10-3 756 9
15. Oklahoma 10-3 615 12
16. Utah St. 11-2 456 18
17. Northwestern 10-3 443 21
18. Boise St. 11-2 419 20
19. Texas 9-4 358 NR
20. Oregon St. 9-4 303 15
21. San Jose St. 11-2 243 24
22. N. Illinois 12-2 227 16
23. Vanderbilt 9-4 180 NR
24. Michigan 8-5 147 19
25. Nebraska 10-4 119 23
Others receiving votes: Baylor 95, Penn St. 90, Cincinnati 78, Oklahoma St. 42, Tulsa 34, UCLA 31, Arkansas St. 28, TCU 9, UCF 9, Wisconsin 6, N. Dakota St. 1.
USA TODAY COACHES’ POLL
Record Pts Pvs
1. Alabama (56) 13-1 1,400 2
2. Oregon 12-1 1,322 3
3. Notre Dame 12-1 1,253 1
4. Georgia 12-2 1,213 5
5. Texas A&M 11-2 1,171 9
6. Stanford 12-2 1,167 8
7. South Carolina 11-2 1,064 10
8. Florida State 12-2 942 12
9. Clemson 11-2 916 13
10. Florida 11-2 886 4
11. Kansas State 11-2 841 6
12. LSU 10-3 775 7
13. Louisville 11-2 772 18
14. Boise State 11-2 633 15
15. Oklahoma 10-3 600 11
16. Northwestern 10-3 580 17
17. Utah State 11-2 444 20
18. Texas 9-4 398 25
19. Oregon State 9-4 366 14
20. Vanderbilt 9-4 248 NR
21. San Jose State 11-2 244 24
22. Cincinnati 10-3 186 NR
23. Nebraska 10-4 175 21
24. Northern Illinois 12-2 156 16
25. Tulsa 11-3 110 NR
Others receiving votes: Michigan 101; UCLA 75; Baylor 52; Oklahoma State 36; Wisconsin 18; Central Florida 15; Arkansas State 13; Arizona State 10; Rutgers 9; Kent State 5; Louisiana Tech 2; Arizona 1; Ohio 1.
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368 comments Add your comment
DP
January 8th, 2013
12:57 pm
It was interesting how similar Alabama’s beatdowns of Michigan to open the season and Notre Dame to end the season were. The enormous gap in talent, toughness and speed was evident in the first 10 minutes and left both Michigan and Notre Dame shell shocked. The only question in either game was how bad the final score would be.
Abnerish
January 8th, 2013
12:58 pm
I can’t wait until the playoffs start and these polls will be totally meaningless!! (because they already are!)
JB
January 8th, 2013
12:59 pm
NOT ROCKET SCIENCE::::: moving the ball and scoring has never been a problem for Richt and company in Athens. When and Whenever Richt gets a lock down defense, Dawgs will be in the hunt every year. Don’t know why ( I have to say coaching) this defense got pushed around on the ground by most they played. Grantham needs a package to convert to slow down and stop the run. Playing three down lineman and having both outside LB’s blitz wide and tricking the other 2 LB’s to pick up the TE and Short WR going out short leaves lot’s of BIG HOLES to run through.
Buckeye
January 8th, 2013
1:02 pm
danny,
Clarett did it to himself.
DawgDad
January 8th, 2013
1:03 pm
Notre Dame couldn’t finish fourth in the SEC, and possibly not fourth in the SEC East or West. Until proven otherwise, Oregon is — Clemson.
danny
January 8th, 2013
1:06 pm
Joey, not so much. Clarrett almost single handedly won them the championship. Once he couldn’t make it they left him out on his own. they basically disavowed any knowledge of his troubles before , during and after he left. Disavowed, isn’t that what tressel first did with the tatooes?
LawDawg
January 8th, 2013
1:07 pm
It really is too bad they give out the individual awards before the bowl games. Teo beating out Jarvis and going to the Heisman? Please. He wasn’t even the best linebacker in the game. That would be CJ Moseley.
Buckeye
January 8th, 2013
1:08 pm
discount,
I’ve evolved. Rankings do matter.
Murray being Murray against top ranked team Murray’s record still sucks.
P.S. It’s a spending problem.
Armchair Observer
January 8th, 2013
1:09 pm
If Oregon had not stumbled late in the season, they would have played Notre Dame for the championship and Alabama would have been ranked 4th behind Ohio State. What a joke!
Buckeye
January 8th, 2013
1:10 pm
danny,
Ok, smarty panties, who was Ohio States leading rusher against Miami in the NC.
Hint: It was not Clarett. He did not ” almost single handedly” win the NC
7576DAWG
January 8th, 2013
1:10 pm
Think about this:
If Ohio State had not been on probation they would have played Notre Dame for the National Championship . Now that game may have gone to overtime . It would have been a great game but instead of playing for the National Championship they should have been playing for who ended up 10TH in the nation with the loser dropping out of the top 10. Alabama would have ended up ranked 2ND behind the winner. How pathetic would that have been?
BCS GIVE US AN 8 TEAM PLAYOFF , MAKE THE TOP 8 TEAMS RELEVANT, GIVE THEM ALL SOMETHING TO PLAY FOR.
Just In...........
January 8th, 2013
1:11 pm
WHEN your coach just finished winning the NATIONAL TITLE, and he’s still mentioning the fact that you were only five yards from being here, he respects you. Georgia, and A&M got SABANS attention. Notre Dame got his bullwhip. The real top Ten looks like this, ALA, TEX A&M, UGA,ORE, STAN,SOUTH CAR. ND,CLEM, FLA, and FLA STATE. The ND bias is in full effect. We’re you people on EARTH last night as they got crushed? Te’o, vastly overrated, running game not there, defensive line exposed, nobody picking up blitzes, and last, ut not least, your OC going after a top five corner cosistantly. Who’s up next? OSU,STAN,USC! People if you doubt the power of the SEC, look at the playoffs this weekend and you’ll see every team has at least two players from this conference that are difference makers, and if that doesn’t, there’s always the seven in a row effect that gets people’s attention.
stevespurrietsux
January 8th, 2013
1:12 pm
HEY LOSER SPURRIER USC THE FAKE ONE LOST TO FLORIDA BY 4 TD’S 33 POINTS-THEYRE IN TOP 10
RD
January 8th, 2013
1:14 pm
Think about this. If you have a head coach competent enough to realize he has one of the best quarterbacks in the country, Murry. He has him spike the ball. 12 seconds left. This quarterback then has the ability to look over a defense he has been picking apart and change the play called if he sees better match up. Not one but probably two chances to score. GA is playing ND last night!!!!! Not. Richt is the worst coach of any major team in college football in “critical” moments. Saben has proven to be one of the best. Don’t get your hopes up for this fall. More of the same. Close but no cigar…..
Buckeye
January 8th, 2013
1:16 pm
For danny and other interested dogs.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/college-football/news/20130104/2003-fiesta-bowl-oral-history/index.html
Buckeye
January 8th, 2013
1:17 pm
dogs,
The internet did not exist when you last won the NC.
How did little tom brown do his research then?
Discount DoubleDawg
January 8th, 2013
1:18 pm
Buckeye- If, and this is a HUGE if, you ever had any credibility it is now long gone.
P.S this is a football blog… although with the way you ‘waffle’ you should be in politics. Talking out of both sides of your mouth makes you a perfect candidate for our current administration.
captguitarman
January 8th, 2013
1:18 pm
The top 5 is total BS, but America’s romance with Notre Dame football, Knute Rockne, the Gipper, touchdown Jesus, the luck of the Irish, etc. etc. is longstanding, and that is not going to change now. Plus, the rest of college football has pretty much had it up to here with SEC dominance (but they need to get used to it.
Notre Dame got ran off the field and out of Miami last night and putting them in the top 5 is a complete joke after considering what Texas A&M and Georgia did against the Tide, but there they are. Over ranked all year, they should finally be getting their actual ranking of 9, 10, 11 or there abouts. But that ND love affair is strong and here to stay.
Just look at all the national hype they got before the game last night, and arguably, lowly Pitt had them beaten as well as Stanford, both missing field goals that would have won their games, and ND escaped others by the seat of their pants. The real top 3, Alambama, Texas A&M, and Georgia? . . . and then Ohio State and Stanford, who beat Oregon, fuggedaboudit . No way that the top 3 teams being SEC schools is going to fly, even if it is correct.
The one consolation is that Irish fans are now all being rudely awakened to the fact that suspending reality and ignoring and denying what they saw happening before their eyes all year, and then buying 100% into your own hype and BS based on the sentimental Irish legendary days of yore — well, that is going to lead to a lot of bitter disappointment. They may not have noticed, until last night, but the SEC is not the same league that it was whne the Irish squeaked out their 24-23 win based on a lucky play way back when.
And how about some more reality while we are at it? Your defensive “wonder” Manti Te’o would not even be a starter for Bama, A&M, or Georgia. He was obviously the most over rated guy on the field. By comparison, if Jarvis Jones played for Notre Dame, he would be Pope by now.
Oh well, the Irish can keep on drinking their cool-aid, along with big sports media types, and now there is even more reason to hate the SEC, but it won’t matter. Bama will probably do it again next year, and if they suffer any losses, it will be only to Georgia or A&M or some other SEC team. The college football world is looking forward to 2014 and the “play offs” so this SEC control can finally be broken. Prediction: 3 out of the final 4 in 2014, you guessed it, SEC teams. But please don’t hate them just because they are the best, despite this year’s idiotic final standings.
Joey
January 8th, 2013
1:19 pm
Who led Ohio State in rushes and yardage in 2002, Buckeye?
Um, this guy, Maurice Clarett:
“anything you can think of I did in my 13 months at Ohio State.” Drugs and women were two of the things. Cars were another—he owned three of them at a time, including a brand-new Cadillac and Lexus. “I was living the NFL life in college,” he says. “I got paid more in college than I do now in the UFL.”
Buckeye
January 8th, 2013
1:21 pm
The most overlooked point in Murray being Murray in big games Murray was the fact he didn’t have the stones or confidence to spike it on his own, saving crucial seconds. Instead, he had to ask permission.
HUGE mental error on his part.
#thetruthhurts
#chokejob
#gagged
Take your pick, dogs.
Joey
January 8th, 2013
1:21 pm
“How did little tom brown do his research then?”
***************************************
He was the “town crier” back then Buckeye . . .
Buckeye
January 8th, 2013
1:24 pm
discount,
It’s not a spending problem. It’s a revenue problem.
We need more blood from the .07% paying 40% of federal taxes.
The bottom 50% pay nothing.
That’s fair!
Buckeye
January 8th, 2013
1:25 pm
Joey,
I’m talking v Miami. Not the entire season.
Buckeye
January 8th, 2013
1:25 pm
discount,
We need to continue to make investments in education so the teacher’s union can continue to invest in us!
Mr. Big
January 8th, 2013
1:26 pm
Too many dawg fans happy just to be mentioned in the top 5 for this program to go further. Do ever ask yourself after 30 years, “WHY NOT ME?
Vadawg
January 8th, 2013
1:26 pm
Georgia does not want #5….we want a dynasty???!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Buckeye
January 8th, 2013
1:27 pm
discount,
In order to further our relationship and negotiations, please share the story behind “discount double” I want to get to know you better.
Alabama Dog
January 8th, 2013
1:27 pm
RD: Right on!!! Georgia has become the Chicago Cubs of college football. It’s always “wait ’til next year”. My question is: WHEN is next year going to be Georgia’s year?
Just In...........
January 8th, 2013
1:27 pm
7576, …..And if I was raking in high six figures, I’d be driving a PORSCHE PANAMERA. This isn’t hypothetical theory 101. The facts are there! OSU broke the rules, now they’ve paid there price, but here’s facts, not theory, OSU is 1-7 all time versus SEC teams, they fear this part of the country and DO NOT WANT TO PLAY TEAMS FROM THE SEC. People please except, theres the SEC, and all others. Clemson, Louisville, and NorthWestern, I give you credit for upset wins, but come roll 12 games like that and honestly CU would be the only ones that could last in conference. Ask them where they recruit, and you’ll see why,
Joey
January 8th, 2013
1:34 pm
Where’d you see a “wait til next year” post, Alabama Dog?
Buckeye
January 8th, 2013
1:34 pm
just in,
Wait til next year!
(learned that from dogs over the span of 33 years)
Fed Up
January 8th, 2013
1:34 pm
CMR has 3 top 5 finishes in 11-12 years. Saban has won 3 National Championships in 4 years.
Bama wins National Championships. UGA wins recruitingchampionships.
But CMR can still do a back flip off of the high dive!
Erk
January 8th, 2013
1:35 pm
Hey Spurrier, you seem to have conveniently forgotten you also lost one game badly. Oh yeah, that Florida game…
Pitbull
January 8th, 2013
1:36 pm
In addition to Alabama, – Georgia, Texas A&M,and South Carolina would have all whipped Notre Dame decisively..
Notre Dame should have fallen to at least 10th place after last night and would have if not for the Midwest votes. They are a joke.
Blue
January 8th, 2013
1:38 pm
And ND would have clearly beaten UGA if UGA played like they did against USC. AL was DOMINANT in every way. But nobody from UGA has a leg to stand on as to YOU being ranked any higher. So you are saying a 28 point loss to SC is to be discarded because you gave AL a good game? You guys FAILED to show up for a game. And bubba4 and any other redneck with the “dawg” in their name; it’s funny how all of the SEC wants to claim A&M now…and last year EVERYONE on these blogs was saying the same thing you said about ND: “they can’t play big-boy football”, etc. So if A&M would have had a bad season, it would have been “see? TOLD YOU they ain’t ready for the SEC”. But now that they did, it’s “they’re one of us”. What a bunch of homer/dolts.
NoMoreRawDeal
January 8th, 2013
1:38 pm
Wow that list is BS. So Oregon, ND, OSU are ranked ahead purely on the basis of being 1-loss teams? Because in all honesty ND should be ranked somewhere in the teens. Oregon and OSU should be closing out the top 10, not in the top 5. UGA should be #2. Yeah, I said it. And Florida should be #3 despite their bowl game.
NoMoreRawDeal
January 8th, 2013
1:40 pm
@Blue: Go back north where you belong, yankee.
Blue
January 8th, 2013
1:40 pm
“Pay no attention to that South Carolina game…all that matters is that we played Alabama tougher…that’s all that matters”.
The Anti Insta - Toot
January 8th, 2013
1:40 pm
Didn’t see Tech listed in the final rankings and never will.
Techies, get used to El Paso. Its the new Boise.
Blue
January 8th, 2013
1:41 pm
no, staying here dude. I noticed no reference to the South Carolina game from you. Really? That’s all you got is “go back north”. You must have been on the debate team…I’m writhing in the grip of your reasoned argument.
Pitbull
January 8th, 2013
1:43 pm
Looks like Blue is felling kinda……..blue. Embarrassed too?
Alabama Dog
January 8th, 2013
1:45 pm
Joey: My point is I’m TIRED of waiting for next year! We, as Georgia fans, have watched 4 SEC teams win NCs in the last 7 years. It’s especially tough for me, being an Alabama resident whose team is ususally close, but never quite there. For better, or worse, teams and coaches are measured by championships won. Richt has 2 SEC titles in 12 years, while we have watched the rest of the SEC pass Georgia by. Sad to say this, but James Franklin, Vandy’s coach could win 10-12 games a year with the talent Richt has, but never seems to get the best out of. What’s worse, the Georgia fanbase as a whole, seems to be satisfied with this constant underachievement.
Just In...........
January 8th, 2013
1:45 pm
BUCKEYE, Like your school this year, you are MR. IRRELEVANT on this blog. I mean really? Terrell Pryor, Maurice Clarett, Jim Tressel and the disaster you call College football at OSU. Thank that other worthless scum sucking, child molesting, degenerate program called PENN STATE for getting eyes off ya’ll. I’ve got a BOWL for ya’ll: It’s called the I (Almost) Got Away With It Convict Cheaters Bowl. Fox will pick it up, they put losers on there news channel consistantly. Believe me, it would be news. One question? Who would be Starting at CENTER for ya’ll? We know SANDUSKY would be for PSU.
Jimmy
January 8th, 2013
1:47 pm
Require teams to win a conference and have an 8 team playoff.
Cut out the weaker conferences to limit to 8 only.
It is the only way to end the joke that is the BC$.
try losing TWO and STill ...
January 8th, 2013
1:49 pm
UGA lost TWO GAMES! One of course to the national champ and STILL ends up # 5.
THAT SHOWS THE POWER OF THE SEC BRAND.
Jimmy
January 8th, 2013
1:50 pm
A & M will not have this good a season next year.
Manziel is good, but teams now have the opportunity to adjust.
He will struggle this year and TAM will also struggle.
Atlanta_Mafia
January 8th, 2013
1:53 pm
Notre Dame shouldn’t be in the top 15
Jimmy
January 8th, 2013
1:53 pm
ND is not up to the standard of SEC teams.
Their own coach said so.
Saban says, “Georgia is five yards from being here.”
Obviously, ND is a blowout away.
No way they should be ranked higher than UGA.
Buckeye
January 8th, 2013
1:55 pm
just in,
Trash me all you want.
Trash the Penn State situation?
Disgusting.
danny
January 8th, 2013
1:56 pm
bucky eye, I am talking the entire season. Tressel was dishonest as anyone whoever coached. It must sad to have left the home you love and wacth the SEC (including Georgia) hammer osu year after year.