Despite falling in Monday’s National Championship, the Georgia Bulldogs will begin the 2018 season as the kings of college football, according to Sports Illustrated.
In their "way-too-early top 25", which was released on Tuesday, SI believes Georgia will start next season as the No. 1 team in the country.
“Sure, the Bulldogs lost—but in spectacular fashion to a very good Alabama team. Kirby Smart has things rolling in the right direction in Athens, and that will stay the case in 2018,” Sports Illustrated’s Joan Niesen wrote. “The playoff runners-up lose top running backs Sony Michel and Nick Chubb, plus leading receiver Javon Wims, Butkus Award-winning linebacker Roquan Smith (probably) and more stars of their defensive front. The speedy D’Andre Swift proved in his freshman year that he could be a worthy backfield successor to Chubb and Michel, and true freshman QB Jake Fromm displayed the big-game cool necessary to make it all hum. Add the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class to that foundation, and nobody will want to cross the Bulldogs.”
The Bulldogs will also lose several seniors on the defense side of the ball. Linebackers Lorenzo Carter, Davin Bellamy and Reggie Carter, defensive lineman John Atkins, and defensive backs Dominick Sanders, Malkom Parrish and Aaron Davis.
Alabama will begin the season as the No. 2-ranked team. Six teams from the Southeastern Conference are ranked in the top 25 (No. 5 Auburn, No. 13 LSU, No. 20 South Carolina, No. 24 Texas A&M).
Check out SI's full "way-too-early top 25" rankings at Sports Illustrated.
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