The AP just showed you how real the Kirby Smart effect is at Georgia following the release of preseason Top-25 poll
The preseason AP Top-25 poll just dropped, and the Georgia Bulldogs are once again among the best teams in the nation. But the reason they are ahead of an SEC foe…Well, that’s because of Kirby Smart.
The AP Top-25 preseason poll is out, and the Georgia Bulldogs landed at No. 3, the highest ranking for any SEC team heading into the college football season. Georgia sits two spots above the Texas Longhorns at No. 5, a placement that has generated some debate. But the reasoning behind the Bulldogs’ edge over Texas comes down to one factor: coaching.
In my opinion, the reason Georgia is above Texas, despite arguments that the Longhorns may have a better roster, is that Georgia has arguably the best head coach in the sport. Kirby Smart is the reason the Bulldogs are No. 3. If Texas’ head coach were Kirby Smart, I firmly believe the Longhorns would probably be No. 1 on this list. That’s how much weight Smart’s presence carries in these conversations.
Key transfer portal additions
- Isiah Canion (WR from Georgia Tech)
- Khalil Barnes (S from Clemson)
- Gentry Williams (CB from Oklahoma)
The ranking means nothing, but it tells us something
So what does it mean for Georgia to be the third-best team in the country before a single snap? Well, it means absolutely nothing in terms of results. But it does tell us that the Bulldogs are once again favored to be one of the best teams in college football.
The truth is, the conversation about how good Georgia can be starts and ends with the pass-catching group. Lawson Luckie returns, London Humphreys is back, but there has been significant turnover in the wide receiver room. Quarterback Gunner Stockton is back, and there’s some continuity up front on the offensive line, anchored by center Drew Bobo. The question is what the skill positions will look like when the product hits the field.
Georgia needs a true alpha at wide receiver
Year after year, Georgia has had to find that next guy at receiver. The Bulldogs have had flashes from players like Zachariah Branch, but since George Pickens, or even Ladd McConkey, we haven’t seen a player walk into that room, take it over, and become the true alpha in the Georgia wide receiver corps.
If that happens, the sky might be the limit.
I’m not saying Lawson Luckie is going to be Brock Bowers, because there’s only one Brock Bowers. But if Luckie can take a significant step forward, if a player like London Humphreys can break out, Georgia won’t just be the third-best team in the country. The Bulldogs might end up being the No. 1 team in all of college football.
It all depends on whether somebody in that receiving corps can separate himself from the pack and give Stockton a true go-to weapon. The talent is there. The coaching is elite. The question is whether the pieces fall into place for a Georgia team that, on paper, already has the rest of the country’s attention.
