Georgia tops Coaches' Poll

Coaches' Preseason Top 25 Rank Team Record Points Previous 1. Georgia (22) 11-2 1,438 3 2. USC (14) 11-2 1,430 2 3. Ohio State (14) 11-2 1,392 4 4. Oklahoma (3) 11-3 1,329 8 5. Florida (5) 9-4 1,293 16 6. LSU (3) 12-2 1,163 1 7. Missouri 12-2 1,143 5 8. West Virginia 11-2 1,008 6 9. Clemson 9-4 999 22 10. Texas 10-3 979 10 11. Auburn 9-4 888 t14 12. Wisconsin 9-4 747 21 13. Kansas 12-1 714 7 14. Texas Tech 9-4 644 23 15. Virginia Tech 11-3 568 9 16. Arizona State 10-3 560 13 17. Brigham Young 11-2 547 t14 18. Tennessee 10-4 506 12 19. Illinois 9-4 422 18 20. Oregon 9-4 399 24 21. South Florida 9-4 350 NR 22. Penn State 9-4 313 25 23. Wake Forest 9-4 203 NR 24. Michigan 9-4 112 19 25. Fresno State 9-4 91 NR Others Receiving Votes: Alabama 83, South Carolina 64, Utah 60, Rutgers 53, Florida State 53, Boston College 47, California 41, Pittsburgh 34, Boise State 25, Oregon State 23, Nebraska 17, Cincinnati 13, Virginia 12, Connecticut 9, Michigan State 9, Mississippi State 6, Kentucky 5, Notre Dame 5, TCU 5, Maryland 4, Texas A&M 3, UCLA 3, North Carolina 3, Louisville 2, Georgia Tech 2, UCF 2, Tulsa 1, Oklahoma State 1, Arizona 1, Colorado 1.

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) -- The nation's college football coaches have voted Georgia as the team to beat this season.

For the first time in school history, Georgia was No. 1 in the USA Today/coaches preseason poll announced Friday.

The Associated Press preseason Top 25 will be released on Aug. 16.

Georgia's previous highest preseason ranking in a major poll was No. 2 by the AP in 1942.

Coach Mark Richt said in the era of the Bowl Championship Series rankings, this poll carries more significance "since it's one-third of the formula to decide who plays in the national championship game."

The coaches ranked Southern Cal, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Florida, and LSU, Missouri, West Virginia, Clemson, and Texas behind Georgia.

The Sporting News and Lindy's also have Georgia No. 1 in their preseason polls. Those polls do not count in the BCS ratings.

Copyright 2008 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.