Kirby Smart’s Georgia secures No. 1 spot in SEC preseason media rankings, beating Alabama, Texas and more

For the second consecutive season, Georgia has been picked by the media to win the SEC championship. The Bulldogs return as one of the best teams in the landscape and they are touted for something big, especially with the exit of Nick Saban from Alabama.

The Bulldogs were overwhelmingly favored by media members to claim the 2024 SEC championship in the preseason poll that involved 213 voters. The program got 165 first-place votes, far ahead of the 27 votes SEC newcomer Texas got and the 12 votes Alabama received.

Georgia's only loss last season was in the SEC championship against Alabama. This denied the team a spot in the College Football Playoff and the opportunity to defend the national title they'd won in the two previous seasons. Nonetheless, the Bulldogs are ready to go again.

Here’s an overview of the SEC preseason poll by media members:

Schools	First Place Votes	Points
Georgia	165	3330
Texas	27	3041
Alabama	12	2891
Ole Miss	4	2783
LSU	2	2322
Missouri	-	2240
Tennessee	-	2168
Oklahoma	-	2022
Texas A&M	-	1684
Auburn	-	1382
Kentucky	-	1371
Florida	-	1146
South Carolina	1	923
Arkansas	-	749
Mississippi State	-	623
Vanderbilt	2	293

Kirby Smart happy with Georgia’s tough schedule in 2024

Georgia has a tough schedule to navigate in the upcoming 2024 college football season. Nonetheless, Kirby Smart made it known that the team is not bothered by the schedule and it serves as a motivation.

“We kind of embrace that, and we love it,” Smart said. “I mean, what you didn’t get to mention is we open with Clemson too, one of the top programs in the country. So, we’re really excited about that. I think that motivates our offseason so that we have the right kind of approach to the offseason.”

Smart, however, admitted how difficult the SEC is as a conference despite his confidence in his team. He concluded that a tough schedule like theirs is the reason for a long list of players under scholarship and getting underclassmen ready is a huge plus.

“It’s hard to do in the SEC,” Smart said. “That’s why you get a chance to recruit to 85 scholarships so that you have depth. Can you get your younger players ready faster than your opponent is a huge advantage."

Georgia comes up against top teams like Clemson, Alabama, Texas, Ole Miss and Tennessee in the upcoming season, all of whom are considered playoff candidates. The team has played six SEC championship games under Smart and they have a rough route to the seventh.