AP Poll acknowledges Georgia-Alabama as battle of nation’s elites

The Week 6 AP Poll is out, and just like the Coaches Poll did, Georgia dropped but voters kept the Bulldogs in the top-5. Falling to Alabama 41-34 on Saturday, UGA now finds itself ranked No. 5 with the Crimson Tide jumping into the top spot over Texas. It’s a return to the No. 1 ranking for Alabama for the first time since early October of the 2022 season.

On the Georgia side of things, the loss to Alabama will sting for a little while, especially with the way things went. Jalen Milroe and the Crimson Tide offense scored on each of their first four possessions while the Bulldogs looked for answers on both sides of the ball. They finally found them in the second half, mounting a comeback from down 23 at the break to take the lead with 2:31 to go on a 67-yard touchdown by Dillon Bell. Freshman receiver Ryan Williams housed one on the next play from scrimmage to regain the advantage for Alabama, before a Carson Beck interception in the end zone ended things in the final minute as Georgia’s effort came up short.

“It was one hell of a game,” Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said, an accurate description of what played out under the lights of Bryant-Denny Stadium. “Tale of two halves. Obviously, we were not really prepared and that falls on me. In the first half we didn’t do a great job, especially defensively, but we also gave them short fields, and when you have a short field and a quarterback like Milroe, it creates a lot of tough times.”

“I am extremely proud of our team,” he continued. “At halftime I thought our coaches made good adjustments, everybody was positive … Came back to make it a game and had a chance to win the game and didn’t make more plays than Alabama, so a lot of credit to them. And for us humility is always a week away. We got to go get ready for another tough opponent coming to our place.”

AP Poll

1. Alabama (40)
2. Texas (19)
3. Ohio State (4)
4. Tennessee
5. Georgia
6. Oregon
7. Penn State
8. Miami
9. Missouri
10. Michigan
11. USC
12. Ole Miss
13. LSU
14. Notre Dame
15. Clemson
16. Iowa State
17. BYU
18. Utah
19. Oklahoma
20. Kansas State
21. Boise State
22. Louisville
23. Indiana
24. Illinois
25. UNLV

The Bulldogs will have several opportunities to earn the nation’s respect later this season. UGA plays both No. 2 Texas (October 19th – Austin) and No. 4 Tennessee (November 16th – Athens) during the regular season. No. 12 Ole Miss (November 9th – Oxford) is also on the scheule with a 34-3 win over No. 15 Clemson in the season-opener getting better and better by the week.

As for the next time out, it’s a longtime rival Auburn that awaits Georgia in its return to Athens. Kickoff time from Sanford Stadium is set for 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC. The Bulldogs and Tigers first met in 1892 and have played 128 total times in a series accurately known as the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry. UGA opens as 23.5-point favorites for Sautrday’s contest according to FanDuel.

The post AP Poll acknowledges Georgia-Alabama as battle of nation’s elites appeared first on On3.